


Lego House

by silver_tt



Series: The Institution [1]
Category: Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: 5 Seconds of Summer (Briefly) - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Angst, M/M, Superheroes, Superpowers, Supervillains, apparently I have a thing for bands, little mix - Freeform, middle of nowhere, one direction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-22 11:17:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 31,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4833389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_tt/pseuds/silver_tt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis didn't know what to think when he woke up with a needle in his arm and an unconscious man across the room. He didn't know what to think when he could hear everything. He didn't know what to think when he picked up four boys on his way out. Maybe, just maybe, they could get away.</p>
<p>or where Louis has heightened senses, Harry is basically a shape shifter, Liam can manipulate the air, Zayn can influence people's emotions, and Niall has healing powers. And crazy stuff happens as they wander through the woods.</p>
<p>Title is "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm Gonna Pick Up The Pieces

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter title is the first lyrics of Lego House. I don't own any of the characters or the title.

The day he woke up in that room, he though his life was over. Turns out, it had only just begun.

Louis slowly opened his eyes, bright light blinding him from the ceiling. He squinted. He became aware of his left arm throbbing, a dull ache in the crook of his elbow. When he managed to look over, he saw a needle in his arm, and a tube filled with his blood winding down below him.

"'Ey," he said groggily. "What's this about?"

Though the lights were fluorescent, this was clearly not a hospital. The walls were a dull beige, the bed barely more than a wooden plank, the ceiling stained with who knew what.

He reached over and took a deep breath before pulling out the needle and dropping it. His arm continued to bleed, so he put one finger on the hole and pushed gently, ignoring the pain. That's when he sat up.

Across the small room, not even three meters from where he sat, was another bed. The mattress was blue and dirty. On it lay another boy. He couldn't have been more than a few inches taller than Louis, but the long bed may have made him seem smaller. His brown hair splayed around his head, long and filthy, and his shirt hung limp off his body. His skin was pale, almost blue, and a needle stuck in his right arm. On the floor sat a contraption which held a bag which filled up with dark red blood.

"'Ey," he said. He stood up slowly and shuffled his way over to the boy. "'Ey, wake up." Louis shook the boy, feeling his cold skin. "'Ey," he said again, more urgently. He pulled out the needle and used the boy's own shirt to cover up the wound.

"M'name's not hey," he finally said. His words were slurred and his voice low. 

Louis sighed in relief. He really didn't want to explain to anyone that he found a dead boy in a smelly room. "Can't call you by your name if I don't know it."

"Harry," he said.

"Louis. What is going on?"

The boy- Harry- didn't open his eyes or reply to Louis' question. "Louis. That's a nice name." His voice dragged on, slow. 

"Thanks," he said.

His head snapped up as the door opened, and he made eye contact with a tall, scrawny white guy with hair the same color as Harry's. The guy froze for a second.

"Your'e not supposed to be up," he said. Louis could make out another door across the hall, and heard feet rushing along the tiled floor.

"'M not supposed to be here at all. I have a match I'm supposed to be at," Louis said. He felt a droplet of blood snake its way down his arm and drip off his middle finger.

The man took a step forward, followed by a huge black man. "Lay back down," he said. "Nothing to worry about."

Louis took a step closer to Harry, not the the kid would be much help. "Fuck that," he snarled.

Both of the men stepped forward and reached out for Louis. Louis' fist connected with the black man's stomach, but the man didn't flinch. They managed to wrestle Louis back onto the bed and strapped him down. The white guy poked a new needle into Louis' arm, this one connected to an empty bag. They picked up the old bag and started to switch out Harry's, too.

"'Ey, you'll bleed 'im dry!" Louis yelled.

The black man froze, his hand suspended over Harry's arm. With a nod from the white guy, they left Harry alone, letting blood drip down his extended arm.

The door clicked shut and a lock slid into place. "Harry," Louis said. "Harry, you've got to get up." Harry didn't move. "Dammit," Louis hissed. He pulled at the straps, but they held tightly around his wrists. He let his eyes wander to the ceiling and traced a dark stain in the shape of a face, ignoring the pinch of the needle in his skin or his nearly numb fingers.

Harry groaned deep in his throat. Louis watched as Harry's left hand reached across his body, feeling the absence of a needle. "Louis," he mumbled.

"I'm here. Can't get up, though. They've got me strapped down."

Harry took a deep breath. "They're always taking blood," he said.

"Why the hell would they do that? Who are they?"

"Sometimes they come in and inject me with something," Harry said. His head rolled over to face Louis, but his eyes stayed shut. "There was someone else in here before. Don't know what happened to him."

Harry's words took far to long to come out, but Louis wanted him to keep talking, to stay awake. He had seen in a movie once that if you're bleeding out, you need to stay awake. "Where are you from?" he asked.

"Holmes Chapel. Got me mum there, and m' sister..." Harry's voice trailed off.

"Fuck," Louis whispered, tugging again at the straps. "Fuck," he said at the ceiling, as if it was to blame. He wanted to know what they were doing with his and Harry's blood. He wanted to know if there were others here. He wanted to know.

But he couldn't see through walls, or hear what they were saying. He had no way of knowing what was happening.

 

~

 

A few hours later, two women walked in and took away Louis' bag. On had blonde hair that hung in waves down past her shoulders and bright eyes. The other was thin and small, with her brown hair pulled into a knot on her head. The blonde one undid Louis' straps, and he sat up wearily.

"Here, eat up," she said. She handed him a small plastic plate. On it sat six crackers, four pieces of cheese, and four round cuts of processed ham. Without another word, the women walked out of the room.

Louis set down the food and walked over to Harry, who still lay silent.

"Harry, wake up," Louis said. "We got food."

Harry groaned and shifted a bit. Louis grabbed one of the water bottles the women had left and opened it. He set it back down and lifted Harry up to a sitting position, propping him against the wall. "You're heavier than you look, mate." It was a struggle, but he managed to get about half a bottle of water into Harry. "Right," he said, lowering Harry back to the bed. He'd never get a comatose boy to eat anything, anyway.

He went back to his bed and ate all the food and drank all the water, keeping an eye on Harry the whole time. He watched Harry breathe just to make sure he was still alive. He wasn't sure what he would do if the breathing stopped, so he prayed it wouldn't.

 

~

 

The next morning, Louis still sat, awake, leaning up against the wall with his knees to his chest. His eyes had stayed glued on Harry the whole night. He didn't look up when the door opened.

"Lay down," the man said. Of course it was the same guy from earlier.

Louis didn't move.

"Suit yourself," he said. "I heard this one actually worked."

Louis watched as the black man injected a syringe of liquid into Harry's arm. It was clearly blood, but it had an almost purple tinge to it.

He felt a pinch in his own arm and looked down to see brown liquid pumped into his bicep. 

"I'd lay down now," the man said before he walked out.

For a moment, Louis felt only the sting of where the syringe had pierced his skin. Then, like a shockwave, it hit his body.

The pain started in his heart. He felt as though he had been stabbed, and it only took a fraction of a second for it to feel like needles stabbed his entire body. Every inch of him wracked with unbelievable pain. He felt as though someone brought a hammer to his shoulder, then his ankle, but he thrashed around, frantically trying to wipe the white hot pain from his skin.

After what felt like forever, the pain was gone. When he looked up, he found himself lying on the floor. He could feel a bruise forming where his shoulder had collided with the tiles. He could smell sweat, both familiar and unfamiliar. He could count the individual droplets of discoloration on the ceiling. He could hear two different heart beats, one dangerously fast and the other dangerously slow. He could even taste the stench of stale food in the back of his throat.

Louis pushed himself up, feeling the microscopic imperfections in the floor. As his eyes flitted around, a headache began to form. His eyesight, which he thought had been good, seemed like an old 90's cassette tape, and what he saw now was full HD blue ray. He tried to cough away the sting in his mouth and nose, the overwhelming pile of scents and tastes that for some reason crowded his senses. Too many heartbeats, too many feet shuffling along the floor, too many whispers that he shouldn't be able to hear.

He covered his ears with his hands, but it made it worse. Now he could hear the same things, but muffled, and also the sound of his hair shifting across his hands. He could feel his pulse in his entire body, he could feel the blood racing through his veins.

"Stop," he whispered, the word catching in his throat. He fucking  _felt_ the word stop in his throat. "Stop!" his own voice deafened him. "Stop!" he shouted. His eyes squeezed shut. He felt his eyelashes brush across his cheeks. He saw the inside of his eyelids.

Then, through the chaos, he heard the next closest heartbeat,  _Harry's_ heartbeat, speed up. He heard more and more blood pumping through Harry's veins. He felt Harry stand, as if the air itself was telling him what was happening. A breeze, a change in air pressure, and a light scratch as Harry stood. The sound of two long strides, jeans stretching. Harry's hands were on Louis' wrists then, and Louis could feel every individual ridge, fold, and detail of those hands.

"Louis? Are you alright?"

Louis shook his head. "Stop," he said again, his voice cracking.

"Stop what?" Harry's voice was still low, still slow, but this time quieter. "Look at me."

Harry's hands tightened on Louis' wrists, just barely. Louis opened his eyes and gasped.

Harry's face was only inches from his. Every tiny detail of Harry's face stood out in stark clarity. Louis could count the hairs on Harry's lip and chin, could see the tiniest freckles dotting his nose. He could see that Harry's skin had become slightly pinker rather than white. But those eyes. Those were what caught Louis. A thousand different shades of green, brown, and yellow. Those irises seemed like nebulas, twists of color wrapped around each other. Those eyes were the most mesmerizing thing Louis had ever seen.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked again.

Tears welled up in Louis' eyes and spilled over, tickling their way down his cheeks. They bounced their way past his pores. Every tiny movement, every microscopic splash and dive of his tears, he could feel. "How?" he asked.

Harry pulled Louis' hands from his ears, and Louis closed his eyes against the overwhelming volume change of every sound. 

"I can hear everything," Louis said. "And see, and feel, and taste, and smell everything."

"What?" 

"I can hear your heart beating. I can smell the aftershave you used two weeks ago. It's like all of my senses are on steroids. I... I can't..." Louis stopped talking when Harry's hands left his wrists. 

 _He thinks i'm a freak. I scared him._  But instead of leaving, Harry placed his hands on Louis' shoulders and pulled him close. Louis concentrated on just Harry: the smell of his skin, the rough fabric of his shirt, his heartbeat. Louis let Harry drown out everything else.

"How are you awake?" Louis mumbled.

Harry shrugged. "I heard you fall, and I wanted to be able to move. And I knew they practically bled me dry, so I wanted all that blood back. And it came."

"You just... wanted it?"

"Yeah."

Louis pulled back, still concentrating on Harry. Only Harry. He could deal with this if all he knew was Harry. "What if you wanted blue hair?"

As Louis watched, Harry's hair turned an unmistakable shade of light blue. "Holy shit," he breathed.

"What," Harry asked, reaching up to tug at his hair. "Did it work?"

Louis nodded, dumbfounded. He let his attention slip. His eyes widened. "Someone's coming."

Harry got back up on his bed and lay down the way he had been before. Louis saw Harry's skin pale again.

He heard the bolt slide and the hinges squeak. The way the feet dragged, the sound of the heart, Louis could tell it was a man, and he was willing to bet it was the white guy.

Sure enough, the white guy walked, alone, into the room. "Good morning, starshine," he said. His heartbeat sped up when he looked at Louis, and his breath hitched.  _Nervous_ , Louis realized. The guy was nervous.

"Hello," Louis said, venom in his voice.

"How are you feeling?"

"Peachy," he spat.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"The bed got boring."

The guy sighed and closed the door. He walked over to Harry, and Louis stood. "Shame," the man said. "They actually thought this one would work." He turned to Louis. "Has he moved at all? Done anything?"

The guy's disappointment showed. Louis saw his muscles relax, the tiniest sag in his shoulders, and it was a difference he wouldn't have seen before. Without a second thought, Louis' fist shot out and collided with the man's Adam's apple. The man gagged and fell back onto Harry, who reached around and trapped the man's neck under his arm. Louis listened, frozen in shock. He could hear Harry's muscles strain to their limit, choking the man. And he couldn't move. He could hear the man's heart slow and then stop.

"He's dead," Louis breathed. "You killed him."

Harry let go, holding his hands up in the air, his breath coming quicker. His eyes widened. The man's body slipped off the bed and flopped to the floor.

"I..." Harry began. Louis could tell how terrified he was, how disgusted he was, that he had just killed a man. "I didn't..."

Finally, Louis was able to move. He grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him out into the hallway.

It was long and narrow, with a single line of lights along the center of the ceiling. Doors lined each wall.

"This one," Louis said, gesturing a few doors down. "There's two people in there."

Snapping out of his stupor, Harry went to the door. "Good or bad?"

"I don't know."

Harry unlocked the door and pushed his way in, ready to attack. Louis followed behind.

Only two boys were in the room. One had dyed blonde hair and a nose that pointed up at the end. His eyes were a striking blue. The other guy had brown hair that had clearly once been styled short but had grown out, the top longer than the bottom.

"You're new," the brown haired guy said calmly.

"Yeah," Louis said, stepping out from behind Harry. "We though we might as well pick you up on our way out." He took another step forward and stopped. The air had changed. It had gotten thicker, almost like a shield. "What is this?"

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"'M Louis. This is Harry. And you are?"

The brown haired guy said nothing, but the blonde one spoke up. "I'm Niall," he said. "That there's Liam."

"Shut up," Liam said.

Louis smirked and took a step back. "Harry," he said quietly. "Go left and I'll go right. Right up to Liam there."

"I can hear you," Liam said.

"I know," Louis replied. calmly, he and Harry went around to the sides. Both walked right up to Liam.

"Why did we do that?" Harry asked.

"There was something with the air," Louis said. "I felt it. Something was there that shouldn't have been."

"How could you..." Liam began.

"Long story. I imagine it's hard to control something you can't see." Louis could smell the sweat begin to build up under Liam's skin. "We really are leaving. You're welcome to come with us."

Louis turned and heard Harry and Niall follow him. Louis heard Niall shrug. Liam's heart raced until he, too, stood and walked out the door.

Louis stopped again. "Here."

"How many?" Harry asked.

"There were two."

"What do you mean?"

Louis didn't answer. He didn't want to explain that he smelled death. It must have happened only moments ago. Instead, he opened the door.

One boy lay unmoving and not breathing on the bed to the left. On the right, another boy lay. His skin was tan, his hair long and nearly black. He lay on his side, staring at the dead body across the room. Lim's breath hitched and his heart sped up.

"'Ey," Louis said. "Wanna get out of here?"

The boy said nothing, but he stood. Louis took this as a yes. He led the boys out of the hall and down some stairs. It was easy to avoid everyone else in the building. It was easy until they stepped outside.


	2. And Build a Lego House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran

Somehow, outside was much, much worse than inside.

Louis froze as he took in the world around him. Each individual leaf popped out at him, a thousand different shades of green. He heard the frantic heartbeats of too many animals skittering through the foliage. He could feel each individual cell of his body heated by the sun. A small stream roared just out of their sight.

Louis closed his eyes tight and clenched his fists, trying to come to terms with the sudden wall of experiences. Harry dropped a hand on Louis' shoulder, and Louis reached up to touch it. Once again, he concentrated only on Harry. Only Harry.

"What's he doing?" Niall asked, too loudly. Louis flinched.

"Give him a second," Harry said. Louis could hear him turn his head to shoot a glance at Niall.

Louis eased into the world outside of Harry, and within a few moments, he could sense everything. His eyes popped open and he spun to look at the other boys, letting Harry's hand slip off his shoulder. "We should run," he said. The sound of thundering footsteps and shouted words crowded Louis' ears from inside the grimy building they had just left.

He took off, and Harry followed without question. The other boys mumbled but took off after them.

They couldn't hear it, but Louis could. He could hear the anger of the people inside. He heard the door crash open long after it should have been out of earshot. He listened to the boy's heartbeats behind him, trying to become acquainted with each. He didn't know where they were, and they might be spending quite a bit of time together.

Then the air pressure changed a tiny bit. Whatever Liam did, he was doing it now. Louis watched as low hanging branches snapped and parted, making room for what seemed to be hemisphere of solidified air around them. Then there was the frantic feeling that crept into Louis' head. It was foreign, not his, and it took over the other boys, too. All their heartbeats sped up to an almost dangerous pace. Adrenaline pumped at lightning speeds through their veins. The people chasing them were closer now, their breath coming in short, angry bursts.

Louis was concentrating so hard on the chaos behind him that he didn't notice the change in the air and humidity. He didn't hear the sudden end to the sound of the forest around them, and he didn't see the open space. All of a sudden, the five boys plummeted, out of control, down through the open air.

A waterfall roared to their right. When Louis looked down, he saw thousands of tiny pebbles beaten by the force of the water. A thousand foot drop, leading straight to the unforgiving ground.

Harry and Niall screamed and clawed wildly at the empty air around them. Harry's hand gripped hard onto Louis' arm. Zayn seemed to have accepted his fate, and a wave of surreal calm washed over them all.

Then it seemed they were on a slide. The air stood still, gradually becoming more horizontal. Louis' skin scraped at the surface of what shouldn't have been there.

Then they tumbled off the edge of the air, rolling along the ground. Tiny scrapes formed on their bodies, and Louis heard the skin ripping and blood pumping out of the scratches. He hear a single, loud  _snap_  and a loud tear.

When they came to a halt, they all groaned. After a moment, Louis looked up to see the rest of the boys.

Liam lay on his stomach next to Niall, both boys trying to push themselves up. The boy whose name they didn't know already sat up, staring down listlessly at his arm, which sat at an unfortunate angle. Harry lay only a few feet from Louis, staring up at the sky, a smile plastered across his face.

"What's with you?" Liam asked Harry.

Of all things, Harry barked out a high-pitched laugh, making all the boys jump. That sound should  _not_  have come from him. "We're alive."

A smile crept across the black haired boy's face, and then Louis felt happy. Then, under the elation, he was confused. He turned to the boy. "What's your name?"

The boy's dark eyes snapped and searched Louis' face. "Zayn," he said, though it sounded more like "Zen."

"Zayn," Louis said, testing the name. "Are you making us feel?"

It was probably the worst way he could have phrased the question, since it made no sense whatsoever. But Zayn seemed to get the idea, and a wave of embarrassment and sadness drifted across all five boys. That was all the proof Louis needed, but Zayn mumbled "yes."

"Do ya think it was that vaccine they gave us earlier?" Niall asked. Everyone turned to look at him.

That  _had_  to be it. Louis heard four hearts skip a beat, his included, and figured the same thought raced through all their heads:  _How could I not have thought of that?_

"Must be," Liam said.

"So wait," Harry said, his low voice droning slowly as he tried to piece together his thoughts. "Louis has heightened senses, Liam can control the fucking air, Zayn can change people's emotions, and I think I can control stuff about my body. What can you do, Niall?"

Niall narrowed his eyes at Harry. "What can you do?" Harry did the trick with his hair changing color, making Niall scoot back a bit. "Right. Not sure what I can do."

"Zayn, how are you not in pain right now?" Louis asked.

Three sets of eyes flicked over to Zayn, and one person gagged. It was hard to tell who. Zayn shrugged. "I decided not to," he said simply, as if that answered the question.

"So pain is an emotion," Liam said thoughtfully.

"What?' Harry said sharply.

"I figure if Zayn can control other people's emotions, he can control his own, too. And if he decided not to feel pain, he must consider pain an emotion."

"Maybe he doesn't control emotions, but he can control the chemicals in people's brains," Louis cut in. Four eyes fell on him, and he looked down. "Emotions are just chemicals, right? Well, so is pain. Whatever part of the body gets hurt, it sends chemicals to the brain to tell it about the pain."

Niall looked back at Zayn. "Can you make my ankle stop hurting?" he asked. A second of silence passed. "Fucking amazing," he breathed.

"Who fucking knows," Harry laughed, "Maybe Niall has healing powers or some shit."

Niall shrugged and reached over to touch Zayn's arm. At first, Zayn flinched away, but he let Niall get closer. And as the boys watched, Zayn's arm straightened. Louis heard the muscles and sinews move and twist back together, heard the bone fragments shifting to connect again. He gagged and covered his mouth. 

Harry looked at him in concern. "You okay, Louis?" he asked.

Louis nodded, his eyes clenched tight. "I just heard his arm go back together."

Harry shivered, and Louis heard his shirt sliding across his torso. "That sounds disgusting." Again, Louis nodded.

"That's fucking crazy," Zayn said and laughed, holding up his arm and wiggling his fingers. All the boys suddenly felt happy, and a fit of laughter washed over all of them.

"We should get moving," Louis said through bursts of laughter.

The happiness faded, replaced by irritation. "Why?" Zayn asked. "We don't know where we are."

"Exactly," Louis said. "They probably know this place better than we do, and eventually they'll be down here to follow us."

"They probably think we're dead."

"Then they'll be here to pick up our dead bodies."

Harry nodded. "Plus, if we get moving, we might have a chance of finding our way home."

Niall and Liam nodded and stood. Liam reached down and helped Zayn stand. Harry stood and helped Louis up. Louis felt a shock of heat move its way from his hand up to his cheeks, and he turned away quickly. He pretended to listen carefully to the sounds around them. In reality, he listened to see if Harry's heartbeat had sped up the same way his own had. And maybe it was his imagination, but it did, just a little.

"I think," he said, "our best bet is to follow this river."

Harry, once again, followed without hesitation. He was so damn  _trusting_. And all Louis wanted to do was keep him safe. Louis had seen Harry nearly dead, and he never wanted to see that again. Liam and Niall waked beside each other again, and Zayn brought up the rear.

During their walk, they discovered that Liam could control the air in more than just pressure. He could change the color of the air, too. This discovery was quickly followed by Niall belting out "Colors of the Wind" and flipping his hair as if he were Pocahontas. Niall could not only heal people, but he could hurt them, too. He found this out after he touched Liam and snapped his finger.

"What the  _hell,_ Niall?" Liam screeched. Zayn quickly numbed the pain, and Niall reached over and fixed the finger.

"Sorry," Niall said. "I just wanted to see if I could do it."

They tested the extent of Harry's ability. It definitely surprised them all when he managed to look exactly like Zayn.

"Well, the ass looks different," Liam said, staring straight at Harry's "Zayn" ass.

"How the hell would you know?" Zayn asked.

Liam shrugged. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I've looked at all of your asses."

Louis laughed, and Zayn punched Liam playfully in the arm. He must not have taken offense, because Louis' Zayn-induced emotion was happy.

"I, for one, have never looked at Zayn's ass," Harry said.

"So you can only look like someone you've seen, and only the parts of them you've seen," Louis said.

"The rest is up to my imagination," Harry said, smirking.

"Pretty sure my voice doesn't sound like that," Zayn said.

"I thought about trying to make my voice sound like yours, but it didn't work."

After a moment of thought, Liam held up a finger. "Try thinking about making your vocal chords change to sound like Zayn's."

And that worked. Harry spent the rest of the walk alternating between looking like Zayn, Liam, and Niall. The backside always looked a little off. Louis wondered why Harry hadn't tried to look like  _him._

He didn't put much thought to it though, because he became aware of the wind moving differently ahead.

"There's a house up there," Louis said, pointing past the thick pushes.

"How can you tell?" Niall asked. "X-ray vision?"

Louis rolled his eyes. "I don't have x-ray vision," he said. "I can hear the wind moving around the house."

"Fucking echolocation," Zayn mumbled.

"There's no one in it," Louis said. "It's pretty beat down. Sounds like there's a hole in the roof and it has no door."

"That's not creepy at all," Niall said.

The five of them had stopped walking, standing in a close-knit circle. Any reservations Zayn may have felt about following Louis seemed to have disappeared, and he stood as close to both Louis and Liam as he could. Niall stood on Liam's other side, and next to him was Harry.

"Should we go there?" Niall asked.

"It's getting dark," Liam replied.

"Staying inside seems like a good idea," Zayn said.

"I'll do whatever Louis does," Harry said.

"Why me?" Louis said.

"You know more than we do when it comes to what the fuck is happening," Harry replied.

Louis sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't hear anyone other than the four boys around him, their comforting heartbeats and their breath whistling past their lips. Animals and bugs skittered and zipped around. The house, still out of sight, was empty and provided a little shelter. He opened his eyes and nodded. "The house."

They set off again, this time sticking closer together. The sun had set rapidly, out of their control. Louis could still see everything around him despite the darkness, and Harry's hand gripped the back of his shirt.

The house was covered in chipped blue paint on the right side, and on the left was brick. A cracked window sat on either side of the open door. Louis slowed his pace, accepting the foot that stepped on his heel. Inside was pitch black, and Louis smelled the air.

"A couch on the left," he said, following the smell of the mildew covered furniture. "A room to the right, a bed in there. Another room forward and to the right, two small beds. A bathroom next to that. Kitchen up ahead. There's a table, but there's definitely nothing living in here."

"I'm exhausted," Zayn said. "I'll take the couch." Zayn set off slowly, his leg bumping into the couch. He sat down. "Smells terrible, but it'll do."

"Niall and I will take the room with the two beds," Liam said. The two of them moved across the creaking floor. Louis waited until he heard them lay down.

Louis moved confidently toward the room with the one bed, finding comfort in Harry's hand pulling against his shirt. They lay down on either side of the bed, not touching.

Louis listened as the other four boys fell asleep, their hearts and breathing slowing down. His eyes stayed wide open, though he couldn't see anything. He let his senses center on Harry for a moment, familiarizing himself with everything Harry was: His slow breathing and the beat of his heart; the smell of sweat and fucking coconut drifting off his skin. Louis then focused on the sounds outside. Now that he could hear pretty much everything, the world was way more terrifying than it had been. All these sounds he hadn't known existed, all these scents, the feel of the air. Everything was overwhelming. He needed to get used to this so he could keep Harry safe. This ridiculous, trusting, slow-talking, farmer looking boy laying next to him. He couldn't afford to get distracted anymore.

Last time he had gotten distracted, they had fallen off a cliff. If it hadn't been for Liam, they would be dead, and if it hadn't been for Niall, Zayn would have a broken arm. All because Louis had gotten distracted.

He couldn't let that happen again.

He didn't sleep at all for the second night in a row. He was too busy concentrating on Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hope you like it!


	3. If Things Go Wrong We Can Knock It Down

Louis watched as Harry opened his eyes almost in slow motion. He quickly pretended to be asleep, hoping Harry didn't realize Louis had been watching him.

"Louis, wake up," Harry said lowly, shaking his shoulder.

Louis opened his eyes and was once again taken aback by those eyes. Those perfect nebulas. 

"I'm going to try to find something to eat," Harry said and rolled off the bed.

Despite the fact that Louis had been awake all night, his body was still stiff from laying still. "Harry!" Harry turned and gave him a confused look. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Harry smiled, his white teeth a stark contrast to his tan skin. "Of course." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a hair tie. He pulled his hair quickly and effortlessly into a bun near the top of his head, and Louis couldn't help but laugh. "What?" Harry asked.

Louis shook his head. "Nothing." He pushed past Harry and led the way out of the bedroom into the lounge.

Zayn still slept despite the sunlight through the window. He lay facing the back of a grimy green couch. Tiny particles of dust moved lazily in the light, every so often bumping into each other or into the walls. The lounge stretched from the bedroom door to the opposite wall of the house, separated from the kitchen by only a change in flooring. From what Louis could tell, everything was broken. The TV, the four chairs, the table, all the kitchen appliances, and the recliner all sat in shattered pieces. Grass grew through the cracks in the kitchen tiles and the hardwood floor.

Harry made his way into the kitchen and rummaged through cabinets, grumbling. Even from a distance, Louis could read the tiny print on the boxes of food that Harry unceremoniously tossed on the floor. He smelled the faint stench of mold from each individual box. Even the cans smelled of rot.

"Is anything in here edible?" Harry asked in exasperation.

Louis walked up beside him. "I don't smell anything good."

"Great." Harry shut a cabinet and his stomach growled.

Liam shuffled out of the second bedroom, brushing his hair out of his face. "Even I heard that," he yawned. "We might have to go outside to find food."

"I think first we should see what we can use," Louis said. "You know, see if there's anything left here other than expired food."

"There are bags of clothes in the room there," Liam said, pointing over his shoulder.

Louis sniffed the air. "Okay, maybe I'm crazy, but I smell strawberries outside."

Harry nodded. "Strawberries first, then clothes."

Liam walked back into his room to wake Niall up, and Harry took it upon himself to wake up Zayn. Louis leaned against the counter and tried at the sink. A single splash of brown water burst from the faucet, smacking him with the stench of rust and stale water, before it sunk into the drain. "No water," he called.

Niall walked out of his room. "Not having shoes is getting annoying."

That's when Louis realized how lucky they were that none of them had stepped in anything bad. None of them had shoes on, a fact that for some strange reason Louis had subconsciously registered this whole time. "We might find some shoes," he said.

Zayn finally woke up with a groan, and all of them suddenly felt irritated and exhausted. Louis fought through it. "Strawberries out back," he said.

Louis led the way out through the hole that used to be a back door. The whole wall had fallen open, exposing the stairs leading up to small door. Out in the back yard, Louis counted around four hundred ripe strawberries. He smelled for the freshest patch and crouched down. "I have never done this before," he said, picking a strawberry. "It smells fine, though."

"I highly doubt any of us have been in a situation remotely similar to this," Zayn said, rolling his eyes.

Harry crouched next to Louis and grabbed his wrist. He took a bite from the berry that Louis still clutched in his hand. "'S good," Harry said. "A little tangy, but it's good."

The sun beat down on them. Over the next few minutes, they picked the biggest, freshest berries. By the time they had eaten their fill, they became fully aware of the fact that none of them had showered in an obscenely long time.

"The river seems like the best idea," Liam said.

The other four nodded, and they made their way back into the house.

Harry and Louis rummaged through the closet in the first bedroom.

"This is, like, a  _lot_ of women's shoes," Harry said.

"Oh, I wonder if a woman lived here," he said.

"I don't judge."

Louis stopped and wondered what he meant by that. Harry pushed shoes aside, unaware of Louis staring at him.

How could this kid exist? Louis wondered. With those skinny jeans and that weird flannel with poorly drawn monkeys plastered all over it. That super long hair, that trusting attitude. This was the last person Louis would have expected to exist, let alone make him feel so protective ad possessive.

"Jackpot!" Harry shouted. His entire torso stuck at an odd angle into the closet, his butt in the air.

"What?" Louis asked.

In answer, Harry began to toss men's shoes onto the floor around the bed. Louis sat on the floor and threw the shoes into the lounge.

Up above them, they heard a crack and a loud "Fuck!"

Harry looked up. "You okay, Zayn?"

"Yeah," Zayn said. He was clearly irritated, but for the first time, his emotions didn't wash over the other boys.

There were a few crashes over the next few moments as Zayn pushed boxes down from the attic. Liam and Niall moved bags from the second bedroom into the lounge. All five boys gathered in the lounge around the messy pile of boxes, bags and shoes.

"Boxes have shoes and bags and stuff," Zayn said. "And some random crap like pens and knives."

"We only brought out the clothes that we thought we would wear. So, like, not the clothes for three year old girls," Liam said.

The boys fell on the pile like a flock of vultures. First, they went for the boxes, where they found six backpacks. Three of them were clearly made for small girls and sported My Little Pony and Hello Kitty. Harry happily took the Hello Kitty bag, and Louis took the sparkly purple backpack. The other three boys got normal backpacks.

They stuffed as many clothes as they could in the bags, followed by knives from the kitchen rolled up in washcloths. Each boy grabbed a pair of sensible shoes, except Harry, who decided that a pair of women's designer boots was the best option.

"No," Louis said. He handed Harry a pair of faded blue sneakers with neon yellow laces. "These."

Harry sighed and accepted the shoes without question.

After stocking up on strawberries packed in old tupperware from the bottom cupboard, they made their way outside and to the river that gurgled a little ways away. They stripped down to their pants and jumped into the water.

"Why do you all have tattoos?" Niall asked.

"Jealous?" Harry asked mockingly.

"Nah, just feel a bit left out."

Harry squeezed out a bit of old shampoo into his hand and mixed it around on his hand before massaging it through his hair. "Maybe you should get one," he said.

Niall laughed. "Like a giant butterfly?"

Harry turned his back on Niall. "No. Something to define your personality. A dick, maybe."

After a few moments of lighthearted talking, Louis froze. Harry stopped rinsing out his hair and looked with concern.

"Louis?" Harry said.

"Shhh!" Louis hissed. He crouched low in the water, his eyes grazing over the five bags and the wads of clothes sitting on the bank of the river. "I hear people."

"They've got to be a ways away," Liam said. "Only you can hear them."

"Go!" Louis said.

As quietly as possible, the boys got out of the water and rocketed down the edge of the river, snatching up their things. Louis barked out warnings when he saw a sharp rock or branch laying on the ground ahead of them. Still in only their pants, they ran until Louis couldn't hear the people anymore. He slowed down. "Can't hear them anymore," he said. "We'd better hurry, though."

They got back in the water, quickly rinsing off any soap or dirt left on them. They changed into new clothes and slipped on their shoes, which were big on three of them but small on Harry and Liam. No one complained, though, as they set off again, their bags on their backs and knives clutched apprehensively in their hands.

Louis stopped again. "Crap," he said.

"What now?" Zayn groaned. "I'm tired of running."

"They're ahead of us," Louis said.

"The river must have turned at some point," Liam said.

Louis shook his head. "They're behind us, too. They're everywhere."

Harry gripped Louis' elbow tightly, and Louis brought his hand up and laid it over Harry's.

"Up the trees," Liam said.

Without hesitation, the boys rushed at the nearest trees that seemed climbable. It wasn't until Louis was already near the top of a tree that he realized Harry was not with him. Louis sat alone, gripping a branch tightly. The other four boys had scattered around to the other trees in the area.

Louis saw Liam and Zayn together and Niall and Harry. Harry positioned himself in front of Niall and blended his skin and, miraculously, his clothes, into the background. If Louis didn't have such good eyesight, he wouldn't have been able to see Harry.

Only moments later, a group of women in black walked into the space under Louis' tree. They were shortly joined by a group of men.

One of the women waved the men over. Her hair was black, curly, and styled into a poof above her head. Her flawless brown skin glistened with a faint sheen of sweat. "Have you seen any sign of the subjects?"

The same black man from the building spoke up.  "We found a house. It looks like they spent the night there. Nothing since then."

Another group joined from another direction, and one more. The woman smiled and turned to the other women in her group. Louis recognized the blonde one and the one with brown hair, but the last one was new. Her hips curved out, and her body was strong and full. Her hair was brown and wavy. A single bead of sweat dripped down her temple. She grinned at the first woman. "You know what this means?" she asked.

The woman nodded.

The four women looked up, their eyes falling instantly on Louis.

Louis scrambled along a branch and leaped toward the next tree. He misjudged the distance, though, and crashed down to the ground. For a moment, the world spun around him, black spots swimming in his vision. Then the pain in his knee subsided and he stood and took off. He could hear them chasing after him.

Twenty people had been below. Twelve chased after him. He pushed his senses back, feeling the four boys' hearts racing, but they didn't move. He listened for the people below, who fanned out and scanned the trees, but didn't seem to find the boys.

Then the pain came crashing back, which he assumed meant he was out of Zayn's range. With a shout, Louis crashed to the ground and gripped his knee.

The blonde woman appeared above him, and he lashed out with his knife. He heard her clothes and skin tear, and she jumped back, arm cradled to her stomach. Louis rolled over and limped along as fast as he could, pushing away the pain. He could count the tendons in his leg that were stretched and snapped. He felt the cracks in his kneecap, but adrenaline raced through him.

A hand that wasn't Harry's gripped his arm, and he stabbed at it. He heard muscles and tendons tear in the woman's hand. She tried to tear it away, but the knife slipped through her hand into Louis' arm, blood spilling and splashing to the ground. The woman finally managed to take back her hand, and the knife fell to the ground.

Louis needed Niall or Zayn. The pain was distracting his senses. A man swinging a fist at him, and he was barely able to avoid it. He brought his blood-spattered arm up and punched the man in the face, feeling and hearing the cracking cartilage and bones in the man's jaw. The metallic scent of blood filled his nose. He didn't see the syringe fall to his chest. He just spun and ran away, the needle still in his chest. He tore it out and ran as far as he could.

It wasn't far enough. He tripped and fell, crying out in pain as his knee collided again with the ground. His sight blackened. He didn't feel the man tear the bag from his back or bind his hands and feet. He didn't feel himself being lifted into the air. He didn't feel anything.

 

~

 

Harry watched in horror as Louis crashed to the ground and raced away. Niall shivered behind him, rustling the leaves, and Harry shifted so his body completely blocked Niall from the view of the men below.

He had no idea how the men hadn't seen Zayn and Liam yet, though they had found a dense tree. It looked like they crouched in a spot entirely hidden from the men below.

Then a man started to climb Harry's tree. A cloud a fear coursed through him.

The man stopped climbing, a look of confusion passing over his face. He dropped down to the ground, where the other men looked around with the same level of confusion as him. Then one of the men punched another.

With no warning, the six men were in full melee, throwing punches. Two men pulled out knives and stabbed at the other men.

Harry looked on with mounting horror. Blood flashed across the ground, spreading out from under a man who thrashed on the ground, clutching a hole in his abdomen. Another man leaped onto another and leaned on his neck. The dying man's eyes and veins bulged, his skin turning blue. Another man flew from the side and took another to the ground, slashing his throat.

Within a few long, grueling seconds, all six men lay dead or dying on the ground, blood washing from their bodies into the river.

Zayn was the first to climb down, completely apathetic. The other three boys dropped to the ground, staying a few steps away from Zayn.

The black haired boy looked to each of them. "Let's go find Louis." He turned and waked away.

While Harry had followed Louis because he trusted him, he followed Zayn with a mixture of desperation, awe, and fear. But if Zayn planned to find Louis, it was worth it.

They had to find Louis.


	4. My Three Words Have Two Meanings

There was Louis, beat up and bloody, hanging over the man's shoulder. Louis' arm was coated in blood, and it dripped steadily to the ground. Two of the women clutched their hastily wrapped arms to their chests, and one man sported a broken jaw.

Harry and the others crouched in the bushes, watching warily to make sure no one noticed them. They stayed a safe distance from each other so if one of them was noticed, the others could escape.

Harry nodded to Liam, who nodded to Niall, who nodded to Zayn. The men in the group stopped dead in their tracks, looks of fear crossing their faces. Louis fell to the ground, looking far too small and helpless.

"What are you doing?" the woman with the curly hair snapped. "Pick him up and move!"

"I... I can't," the man said. "I can't move."

The woman took a step forward and froze at the tiny gasp that came from where Zayn hid. Her eyes narrowed and skimmed over the bushes, pausing near Liam. A grin split her face. "So this is what it does?" Her arm rose, a gun clutched in her hand. A single shot exploded, and the man who had been holding Louis fell to the ground, dead. "If you don't stop," she said, killing another man, "they're useless to me." A third shot sounded, and a third man fell dead. The rest of the men ducked, released from Zayn's hold on them. The gun drifted to Louis. "If you don't come out, I'll kill him."

There was a pause, and a bush to Harry's right rustled. Liam stepped out. Harry bit back his protest. The woman smiled. Harry silently moved in a crouch out of the way, moving back up the course of the river. He turned once and saw Niall and Zayn moving, too. They bunched together just close enough to hear their words.

"I'm here. Just... don't shoot him," Liam said, his voice shaking.

"Good boy. Where are your friends?"

"I don't know. We split up to look for him."

The woman cocked the gun, still pointed at Louis. "You're lying," she said.

"I'm not," Liam cried frantically.

"Leigh," the woman with her hair in a knot said. "I think he's telling the truth." Her hand was bandaged up, but the bandage had stained red.

"Jesy," Leigh said, "tie his arms."

The other uninjured woman stepped forward and bound Liam's hands behind his back. Liam's eyes stayed trained on Louis' unmoving body. "He'll bleed out, you know," Liam said.

"Shut up," Leigh snapped. She turned the gun on Liam. "Someone look in the bushes. They have to be here."

Three men searched through the bushes, rushing straight to where Harry, Niall, and Zayn had been. "No one's here," one of them, a skinny black man, said.

Leigh scowled. "Fine. Get the kid, and let's go."

They left the three dead men laying on the ground and passed the boys hiding in the bushes. When they were out of earshot, Harry turned to Zayn. "What did you do?"

Zayn shrugged. "I made them afraid. You know when you're completely terrified and you're too afraid to move? Yeah."

Niall stepped out onto the path left by the group that had Liam and Louis. "We've got to go," he said.

Harry nodded. Zayn stood up and led the way, following the footprints on the ground.

And the blood. They followed the blood.

 

~

 

The sun had set hours ago, but the three boys crouched close to the people's camp. A small fire burned in the center of the camp. The men all slept on the bare ground, heads propped on their arms. Louis still lay unconscious, but his arm had stopped bleeding. Whether that was good or bad, Harry didn't know, since he wasn't close enough to see Louis breathing. Liam sat against a tree, eyes wide open and scanning the area. The four women sat in a circle near the fire, chatting.

"Yeah, you're definitely gonna need stitches," Leigh said to the blonde woman.

"At least I'm not Jade," the blonde woman said.

"I can't feel my hand," The woman named Jade said, clutching her left hand. "Got sliced in half."

"Why do we even need them?" the blonde woman asked.

"Somehow, the experiments finally worked. This one," Leigh gestured at Liam, "Can control people's minds. I assume one can fly, since they survived that fall. I don't know what the others can do. If we can isolate what changed their DNA, we can finally finish the project. And we need to, Perrie."

The blonde nodded. "Right."

Jesy pulled some granola bars out of her bag and handed them around the circle. The boys used the noise to sneak away out of earshot.

"Man, are they wrong," Niall said. "Flying? Mind control? So cliche."

"Who cares?" Zayn asked. "Emotions make people do crazy stuff, to technically it is. And I assume Liam can fly if he wants to,"

"Still."

"Isn't it a good thing?" Harry asked. "They don't know what we can actually do, so it'll take them by surprise."

"Our abilities don't work on those women," Zayn said. "At least mine doesn't."

"Louis still hurt them, though," Harry said. "They're not invincible. We take out the men first, and we'll just have to work for the women."

"Whoa, wait," Niall said, holding up his hands. "What do you mean, 'take out?'"

"I assume he means kill," Zayn said, looking down. Harry nodded.

"I'm not gonna fucking kill anyone!" Niall screeched.

"Shh! Quiet!" Harry hissed. "They're right there!"

"Why can't we just, you know, call the cops or something?"

"If that becomes an option, then yes. We will. But Zayn's killed, like, nine guys indirectly, and I've killed one, so."

Niall's mouth curled in disgust. "You killed a guy?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I did."

Niall bit his lip and took a deep breath. "Alrighty. We need a plan."

"Our best bet is to get Liam and Louis before they get to where they're headed," Zayn said. "If we surround them, we can do it. Niall, if they come at you, you can hurt them. Harry, you can use that camouflage shit to sneak up on them or something. I can get them to fight."

"There's still the problem of the women," Harry said. 

"Louis got two of them. It's not impossible."

Harry nodded. This was the only way. "We should wait until it gets lighter."

Niall shook his head. "Okay, surround them, yes. But if we move now, Zayn, can't you keep them knocked out? That's a chemical, right?"

"I guess," Zayn said.

"Then we don't have to hurt anyone," Niall said triumphantly.

"The women," Harry said. Niall visibly deflated.

"That part of the plan wouldn't change," Zayn said. "We get them out of the way."

"Or," Harry said, "You could use the men to get the women."

"What do you mean?"

"So there are, what, seven men left. If all seven go after the women at once, they could take them down."

"Those women seem tough," Niall said.

"Do you really think that the three of us would stand a better chance?"

Niall looked down. "No. Your plan seems best."

Zayn nodded. "Let's do it."

"You do that, Niall and I will get Louis and Liam. "

"Let's go."

 

~

 

Not ten minutes later, they were in their positions. Harry had situated himself as close to Louis as he could, and could now see that Louis still breathing. Niall was over near Liam, and Zayn stood in the space between them. Zayn gave a thumbs up, and Harry and Niall returned it.

The seven men jumped up, and with frantic eyes, searched for their targets. The women were startled for a second.

"Why did you all-" Leigh began, but she was cut off by one of the men practically roaring at her.

The men stormed the women. Two of them quickly fell over the blonde, Perrie, and buried her under their weight. Two jumped at Jesy, who managed to dodge out of the way of their swinging arms. Jade only dealt with one man, but her injured hand made it difficult to fight back. Leigh, though, was the most impressive.

She rolled away from the fire, and the two men after her followed like ducklings. Large, murderous ducklings. They chased after her, and one swung while the other slipped around behind her. Leigh jumped up and to the side, swinging a kick at the man behind her while simultaneously dodging the punch.

Harry shook himself out of his stupor and rushed forward into the clearing.

"Leigh!" Jade screamed. 

Leigh looked over at Jade, and for a split second, she was vulnerable. One of the men grabbed her hair, but she pulled out her gun and shot him between the eyes. She followed Jade's pointing finger and made eye contact with Harry.

Harry froze, staring into the angry eyes of the devil. Leigh shot the second man without looking and then pointed the gun at Harry.

That was enough to make Harry jump to action. He lifted Louis and took off at a sprint faster than should have been possible. With the sound of bullets crashing through the trees after them, all five boys made their escape.

After what felt like hours, they finally slowed to a halt. Harry's adrenaline faded, and he set Louis down and fell down beside him.

"Zayn," Niall panted, "It worked."

Zayn nodded. "Three men dead. I think they killed the blonde one."

"Perrie," Liam gasped, sitting down.

Zayn shook his head. "The blonde one."

Harry knew what Zayn was doing. He was trying to distance himself from this woman he had just killed. The name made it harder to bear.

Harry rolled to his side and swung his backpack off his shoulders. In the darkness, it was hard to do, but he used a shirt to scrape some of the dried blood off Louis' arm. "Niall," he said, his voice cracking. "Can you..."

"Yeah." Niall rolled over to Louis' side and healed his arm and knee. "Can't do anything about the blood loss."

Harry lay back and stared at Louis. This was the opposite of their situation back in that God forsaken room, where Harry had been helpless and nearly dead. Now that was Louis, but Harry was still helpless to make it better.

"We can sleep a few hours," Zayn said.

Harry shook his head. "No, those women are probably still after us." He stood and lifted Louis into his arms. "We have to keep moving."

Liam nodded. Zayn threw up his hands in exasperation. "Fine, but I can't make us less tired. I'm too exhausted."

Harry nodded and took off at a slow walk. He hear the other three fall into line behind him: Liam and Niall together, Zayn in the back, just like before. But unlike before, this time Harry was the one who had to watch out for what was ahead and where they were going. And unlike before, this time Louis was cold and curled up in Harry's arms. Harry was the one leading the group of boys through the woods. And this time, it was pitch black. He could only hope Louis would wake up soon. Three words ran through his head.

_I only hope._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've posted a lot today, but if I've gotta write, I've gotta write! Thank you for reading!


	5. But There's One Thing On My Mind

When Louis woke up, the sun was streaming through the trees and the world was fuzzy. For a moment he was concerned. The world was supposed to be clear, HD, and he was supposed to be able to hear everything, see everything. And he couldn't. But how could he stay concerned when he found himself curled up in a pair of warm arms? He should know these hands, but he didn't. At least he could hear the heartbeat with his head pressed against that chest. It was Harry. And Louis didn't want to be awake.

He looked up after a moment of consideration and took in Harry's face. The sun emphasized the stubble on Harry's face, and Louis couldn't help but smile. "Harry," he said, his voice barely more than a squeak.

Harry looked down, and a huge grin lit up his face. "You're awake." And those words were all Louis needed to hear. Harry moved to a fallen tree and set Louis down on it. Harry pulled back, but Louis clutched his arm, so Harry sat next to him. "You're still cold," Harry murmured, concerned. He pulled Louis into his side and held him there.

"Mornin'," Niall said.

"Morning," Louis replied, his eyes drifting shut again.

"Nope," Harry said. "Now that you're awake, you've got to stay awake."

"Awake is stupid," Louis protested. He sounded like such a fucking child, but he couldn't help it an he didn't care.

Liam reached into his bag and took out a granola bar. "Here, have some food."

Louis' eyes narrowed. "That's not your backpack," he said.

Liam shrugged. "I nipped one of the girls' bags when we made our getaway."

"What... happened?" Louis asked.

"I'll tell you while we move," Harry said. He stood and helped Louis up, but Louis nearly fell over, his head spinning. "Alright, come here," Harry said, and lifted Louis into his arms again.

 

~

 

Leigh scowled down at the footprints in the leaves. These stupid boys had destroyed almost everything, but Leigh was determined to finish this.

Why hadn't she given Liam the suppressant? He had waited until the other boys had been there, and he had made those men attack her and her girls.

She took stock of the girls around her. Jade's hand was newly stitched and wrapped up, but otherwise she was alright. Jesy had a black eye and a gash stretching from her left collarbone to her right breast. Perrie had bruises up and down her body and most likely a few cracked ribs. Leigh was the only other one to have made it out of that campsite alive. All of the men had been killed. They were too much of a hassle to keep in check.

And one of the stupid boys had taken her pack, filled with water bottles and granola bars. It wasn't much of a loss, but it would fuel those stupid boys and make them harder to catch.

She and her girls had a job to do, and if she didn't carry it out, the boss would not be happy.

She jumped when her phone rang and cursed herself for her jumpiness. She didn't have time to be startled by a stupid phone. The screen said it was the boss. She took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello, Leigh-Ann," the voice said.

"Hi, boss."

"Do you have the boy?"

This was the delicate part. "We did. He got away."

"What?"

That single word spat fire through her bones. "His friends came, and when they did-"

"I don't want to hear it. Just go get Zayn."

Leigh paused. "Zayn? I thought you wanted Liam."

"No, you fool!" the voice growled. "Zayn is the one who can control people's emotions."

Leigh bit her lip. She had been after the wrong boy. "I understand."

"Do you? All this time you've been after the wrong one!"

"I'm sorry."

"I sent you to get the boy out of that compound because I knew what he would be able to do. And you would have brought me the wrong one!"

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"You have three days. After that, I'm sending the bravos. And we both know that you don't want that."

"I don't. I'm sorry."

"Three days."

The line cut off. Leigh screeched and threw the phone at the ground with all her force, wishing that something made by The Institution would break for once. It would be more satisfying than watching the stupid phone bounce on the ground.

"What did the boss want?" Perrie asked quietly.

"It's Zayn. The boss wants Zayn!"

"Which one is he?"

"The not white one. You're supposed to know your work, Perrie! This isn't a game and this isn't easy! You're supposed to know-" Leigh cut herself off and pressed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Jesy, explain to Perrie what exactly we're doing. Perrie, get your head out of your ass!"

Perrie nodded and moved back, staring at the ground as Jesy explained to her everything about their objective.

Jade moved up beside Leigh. "Maybe that was a little harsh?" she said.

Leigh stared ahead. "We have three days to get that boy or the boss is sending the bravos."

Jade scowled at the mention of the unnecessary bravos. "Seriously?"

Leigh patted Jade's cheek. "Don't scowl. You're prettier when you don't."

The four of them were on The Institution's alpha team. The Institution had been doing experiments for years, and the alterations only ever worked on males. Most of them had never survived the injection, and those few that had stayed in the lower level of the compound. There were only three of them, and they were the bravos. Their abilities were unpleasant at best and deadly at worst, and they were severely untrained and had trouble following orders. Luckily, their abilities had no affect on the girls, which was why the boss had sent them as the alpha team on this mission. No one, not even the boss, wanted the bravos out of their insulated cage. But from what she had seen and heard, Zayn would make a nice addition to the bravos. Emotion manipulation seemed just what the team needed.

 

~

 

By the time the sun set, Louis had his full abilities back, though he didn't bother mentioning that he hadn't had them to begin with. That was something that they didn't need to know.

They stopped for only a few minutes, sitting in the near blackness, and ate granola and drank the water found in the woman's bag. But after that, they stood again and made their way through the woods, Louis in the lead again, holding on to Harry's hand for support. At least, that's what he told himself.

They weaved through trees and bushes until the sun came up, and they rested for about an hour.

"I'm so tired," Zayn moaned.

"We all are," Liam said. The two of them sat against the same tree, their shoulders almost touching.

Harry was asleep, his breath ghosting over Louis' hands. Louis sat next to him, eyes closed, but far from asleep.

"How far ahead do you think we are?" Niall asked.

"Not that far," Liam said. "They seemed pretty intent on catching us, so I doubt they slept a wink."

"I guess we should keep going."

"Let them sleep for just a bit."

"Louis slept all night a few nights ago," Zayn protested.

"You can sleep, too, you know."

With that, Zayn and Niall were asleep. Liam sat awake, staring off into the woods.

"I'm not asleep, you know," Louis said. He heard Liam jump a bit and opened his eyes.

"I thought you were," Liam said.

Louis shrugged. "There's too much going on to sleep. I'll keep watch."

"I guess that makes sense, you keeping watch," Liam replied. Within moments, he, too, slept.

Louis listened to the sound of the forest around them. It was still far too loud, but he had gotten used to it. He still had a long way to go before he could sleep.

One hour later, he woke up the boys, and they set off again. Louis pushed their pace. He heard them fall into place: Harry next to him at the front, then Liam and...

Zayn.

Louis turned to face them. Zayn stood next to Liam, and Niall behind them.

"What?" Zayn said.

"You usually walk in the back," Louis said.

Zayn's eyes darkened. "Am I supposed to?"

"No I just... Never mind." Louis turned again to face the front.

"I like it back here," Niall said.

Harry smiled and bumped gently into Louis, who looked up at him. They had only been at this a few days, but Louis felt like he had known Harry forever. Harry was the only thing on his mind.


	6. It's All For You

Louis slowed and held up a hand. The boys slowed, as well, and crowded around him.

"What is it?" Liam asked quietly.

Their hearts sped up, and Harry grabbed onto Louis' shirt. 

Louis kept his eyes pointed forward, but he turned his head to the side. "I'm... not sure we should go this way," he said calmly.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Just... trust me on this, okay?"

They didn't need to know that up ahead, Louis heard the wind blowing around yet another house. This one, though, was accompanied by the unmistakable stench of death. 

Louis moved to the left, completely changing their course. He would skirt around the house slowly, and eventually they would be back on their straight course. Then the wind picked up, blowing from the direction of the house, and all the boys froze.

"That's..." Niall began.

"Yep," Louis replied. They picked up their pace.

They hadn't gone more than thirty steps when Louis froze again. "No fucking way," he breathed, and took off at a run.

The other boys chased after him, hearts racing. Louis could tell they thought the women were on their heels, but that wasn't it at all. Louis leaped over roots and branches with ease, hearing the boys fall multiple times, but never slowing. Not until he reached it.

"Shit." He looked straight up along a solid wall of trees.

The boys finally caught up to him, breathing heavily. Harry was the first one to look up. "What..."

They were clearly fake, each one identical to the next. Straight, smooth brown metal stretched up what must have been ten stories, topped by barbed wire painted green. Tiny slits separated the trees, and through them Louis could see an ocean hundreds of feet below. "Shit," he said again, leaning close to the wall. It stretched as far as he could see in either direction, curving in to the right and running in a straight line to the left.

Then all the boys stood side by side, staring up and this insurmountable wall of fake trees.

"This can't be happening," Zayn said. He backed up until he hit a tree, a real tree, and sank down against it. "This can't be happening."

Liam moved back to join Zayn, and Louis could hear Liam muttering comforting words. A hand on a shoulder. A cracked sob.

"There's no escaping," Harry whispered. He knelt down on the ground.

Louis sat next to him, and they both stared at the wall.

"How far does it go?" Niall asked.

"As far as I can see," Louis replied.

"Can we climb it?"

"Barbed wire leaves."

Niall fell silent, and Louis smelled salt in the air. He turned to see a single tear fall down Harry's cheek. Louis brushed it away with his finger. "We'll get out of her, we just need to be more creative."

"What day is it?" Harry asked.

Louis paused. He had been here, what, four or five days? And it had been January 27. Which made today... "February first, I think."

"It's my birthday."

It was spoken so quietly that even Louis almost missed it. He nodded and swallowed. "How old?" he asked, his voice cracking just a bit.

"I'm 22." 

Louis scooted in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. He wiped away another of Harry's tears and smiled. "Happy birthday."

Harry let out a strangled sob and fell forward, dropping his head onto Louis' shoulder. Louis held him tight, running his fingers through his hair. "How long have you been here?" Louis asked softly.

"A month."

Louis lay his cheek on the top of Harry's head and looked around. Zayn sat with his head between his knees, eyes open wide. Liam held on to his hand, muttering words Louis couldn't bother to decipher. Niall stood, staring with a blank expression at the top of the wall.

Harry had begun the new year in this hell hole, being drained of blood and experimented on. The other boys must have been here for longer, too. Louis had no idea what any of them had been through.

And Harry was so thin. His ribs poked Louis' arms, but Louis held on.

"I'll protect you," Louis whispered. "I promise."

This time, there was no warning. The women had surrounded them silently. Louis couldn't hear their hearts or their breath, and all he saw of them was a flash of hair here and a bit of black there. He put his lips to Harry's ear and whispered, "The women are here."

Harry froze, his breath coming fast and hard. He clenched his fists.

Louis' hand sneaked into Harry's backpack and gripped the handle of a knife. He waited until the women stilled and guessed at their targets.

Jesy would come after them, Leigh and Perrie after Liam and Zayn, and Jade after Niall. "Go to Zayn," Louis whispered. Harry nodded.

"One..." Louis pushed the towel away from the blade of the knife.

"Two..." he slipped the knife from the bag and held it at his side.

"Three!" he shouted.

He pushed and rolled away from Harry, using his momentum to pop up to his feet. Without hesitation, Louis changed his direction and slammed into Jesy as she neared Harry. They both went tumbling to the ground. Louis used the knife to slice at Jesy's arm, causing her to drop her gun. She rolled over on top of him.

Harry stood, pulling out a second, smaller knife, running at Liam and Zayn. Leigh and Perrie fell over the two sitting boys, and Harry lashed out. He caught the edge of Perrie's jacket, switched his grip, and sent the knife stabbing at Leigh.

Zayn and Liam used his distraction to kick at the women. Zayn brought Perrie crashing down to the ground and rolled on top of her, punching at her. Liam hooked his foot behind Leigh's knee and pulled, buckling her knee. She fell to the ground. While Harry fell on top of Leigh, Liam launched himself over to Jesy, grabbing her and pulling her off of Louis.

Niall had enough time to compose himself, and used his backpack to block the first blow. He swung it out and caught Jade in the shoulder. She took the blow and swung her gun out and pulled the trigger. Niall cried out as the bullet tore through his left bicep, and he fell. Jade pointed the gun at his face, but Niall kicked up, knocking the gun from her hand. He kicked again, knocking her over.

Louis rolled up and went at Leigh, stabbing at her. His knife caught her between her shoulder blades. She cried out, falling forward. Louis heard her skin rip, her muscles tear, and blood poured from her.

Louis, Harry, and Niall took off at a sprint away from the fight, leaving the women in their wake.

 

~

 

The women managed to corner Liam and Zayn. Leigh knelt on the ground, leaning against Jesy.

"Our orders have changed," Leigh said to the two boys standing in front of her. "We only want you." She pointed at Zayn.

Zayn froze, holding up one arm as if it were a shield. He shook his head. "Only me?"

"The rest of the boys are free to go, as long as you come quietly," Jesy said.

Zayn turned to Liam. "I have to go," he whispered.

"No! They'll use you against us!" Liam protested.

Zayn put his hands on Liam's cheeks and kissed his forehead. "I will never do anything to hurt you."

He took a step forward, and Liam reached out, but found himself frozen in place. It wasn't fear. It was crippling sadness, the kind that left him helpless. He fell to his knees and watched as Zayn walked off with the women.

 

~

 

"Liam and Zayn!" Niall shouted.

That's when Louis realized he only heart three heartbeats. The three of them turned without a second thought ans ran back.

Louis slowed to a stop while Niall and Harry ran forward. Liam knelt by himself against the wall, hunched over in defeat, tears streaming down his face.

"Where's Zayn?" Niall asked, falling down to his knees.

"He lied," Liam said.

"What?"

"He said he would never hurt me, but he already did."

The four boys stayed silent. Louis could hear the women and Zayn waking away. Louis could tell that Zayn walked calmly next to the women.

Zayn had left willingly.


	7. And It's Cold In A Dark December

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.

Louis' heart sank when he felt Zayn's heartbeat fade away. His fist clenched. "I never told you boys," he began, "But when they captured me they gave me something that turned me back to normal for a while. Like, I couldn't hear anything special."

"Why does that matter, though?" Niall asked.

"They just gave it to Zayn. I can't hear him anymore."

Liam stopped, his arms close around him. "Are you sure he's not... dead?"

Louis shook his head and placed a hand on Liam's shaking shoulder. "Unfortunately, I've felt someone die before. This is... different."

"but I was able to heal you," Niall said.

Louis nodded. "I don't know how it works. The point is, Zayn is alive and i can't sense him."

Liam pushed past Louis and started to follow the footprints the girls and Zayn had left in the soft ground. "I knew Zayn before all this happened," he said. "Back home, we went to the same summer camp one year and we've kept in contact since then. That boy that was in Zayn's room with him... That was his brother."

A moment of silence followed, and Louis cleared his throat. "My mum's getting married in a few weeks, and I was the wedding planner. I have a lot to finish, but it looks like they'll be on their own." Harry threaded his fingers through Louis', and for some reason Louis was okay with that.

"My nephew's gonna be born next month... This month? What day is it?" Niall asked.

"February first."

"This month, then." Niall sighed. "I was looking forward to meeting the lil craic."

"I turn twenty two today," Harry said.

Liam and Niall muttered "happy birthday," and they fell into silence again. Louis squeezed Harry's hand gently, more than happy to let Liam lead for a while. Louis was tired, and following for once seemed like a fairly good idea.

A breeze rushed through the trees, shaking loose twigs and leaves, which crashed to the ground. Louis' hand tightened on Harry's as he tried to distract himself from what to him was a thunder of sound.

Then the sky opened up, and fat droplets of water rained down slowly, splattering against their clothes and skin. Louis could see as the rain started to wash away the footprints ahead of them.

"We's best pick up the pace," Louis said. Without any further prodding, Liam broke into a light jog.

The rain fell faster and harder, and soon it poured down so hard that they couldn't see more than three feet in front of them. Louis pulled himself up to the front as the footprints washed away. He figured he was the best one to track the details, as he knew the footprints wouldn't last much longer. Their light jog turned into a frantic sprint, and Liam thought to form an umbrella over their heads.

"Nice," Niall said, looking up at the droplets slapping on the invisible sheild, his eyes twitching. He slipped over a patch of mud.

"Oi!" Louis said. "Careful."

They stopped speaking, not wanting to yell over the thunder of the rain on the leaves. Then a bright flash lit the sky, followed by a clap of thunder, and Louis jumped. Harry grabbed onto his hand again. Louis searched frantically for the tiniest details of Zayn's path, finding nothing more than a broken twig or a piece of hair beaten into the ground. He could only hope that these signs actually led to Zayn.

 

~

 

Leigh limped alone, one arm slung over Jesy and the other over Jade. Perrie kept a gun trained on the back of Zayn's head. Zayn had his hands bound behind his back, and when the rain began to fall, he started to complain.

"Look, I know I probably don't look it," he said, "but I'm very into keeping myself looking good. And this rain really doesn't help."

"Shut it," Perrie said. She knew her makeup was running down her face. The boss had provided them with nearly everything they wanted, but apparently waterproof makeup wasn't on the list.

"I mean, I haven't cut my hair in weeks."

"Leigh!" Perrie whined.

Leigh sighed, her curly hair dripping water onto her neck. "Deal with it. The boss wants him unharmed."

"Does he?" Zayn asked. He launched himself back at Perrie, catching her off guard, and started to run. he screeched when a bullet hit his arm.

"I'm sure she'll understand," Leigh said. Jesy lowered the gun, and Perrie dragged a moaning Zayn up to his feet. "Let's move," she said.

She felt useless. How had she been caught like this? Her back was on fire and her legs weren't working properly because of that stupid boy with his stupid knife. She wished that he was the one they were after so she could make his life a living hell.

Zayn would have to do, though.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and Jesy and Jade lowered her to sit on the ground. She ignored the squish of the mud  and answered.

"Hi, boss."

"Hello, Leigh-Anne. Did you get the boy?"

Leigh scowled at the boy, who still complained about the rain. "Yes, we did."

"Good. I expect you back by sundown."

"That probably won't happen," she said.

"I don't care if it's raining a little. You can suck it up!"

"I was stabbed," she said. "I'm lucky it didn't hit my spine."

The boss growled. "How can you four be so incompetent? Clearly you're not worth being the alpha team if you can't obtain one asset without getting hurt! Jesy is the only one that hasn't been injured!"

Leigh glanced at Jesy, whose cut was scabbed closed.  _No excuses_. "I'm sorry," she said. "We'll move through the night and get back by dawn."

"If you see the rest of them, get them, too."

"Understood."

She hung up and put her head in her hands. "You, boy, had better be worth it," she said.

"Why do you even want me?" he asked.

"That's none of your business," Leigh snapped.

"I actually think it's entirely my business, since, you know, it's about me," he said.

"Jade, could you shut him up?"

Jade quickly shoved a wadded up sock in Zayn's mouth, and Zayn gagged. Understandable, since the sock was soaking wet. Leigh gestured at the girls, and they made their way off again, moving at no more than a crawl. They had put enough distance behind them, and the rain had covered their tracks. As promised, the alpha team and Zayn stumbled from the rain into the compound before dawn.

A man stood. "tell the boss they're here," he barked at another man. He took out a syringe of suppressant and injected it into Zayn's neck. "A blocker, too?" he asked Leigh.

She shook her head. "None of their abilities work through this wall," she said. "Now can you get us some medics, please?"

Within moments, Zayn had been ushered away, and all four girls sat on gurneys in the infirmary.

"You're lucky it didn't hit anything important," the doctor said. Her hair was long and blonde, and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses sat on the tip of her nose.

"Don't I know."

 

~

 

Zayn was thrown into a dim room. The floor was soft and squishy, and it didn't seem as though any furniture was there.

"Newbie," a high pitched voice sang. A laugh from the side. "I hate the light, and they were nice enough to turn them off for me."

"Screw you," another said. This voice was low and gritty. "I can't see a damn thing."

"That's a good thing," a third voice growled, this one smooth.

"Not our fault you're blind," the first voice said.

"Can't see anything anyway," the third laughed.

"Screw you," the second said again.

"Who the hell are you?" Zayn asked his voice shaking. He brought his arms up in front of him, unsure of where to look.

"I'm Pete," the first voice said.

"Dwayne," the second growled.

"Josue," the third said.

Together, the three voices said, "And you are?"

"Did you rehearse that?" Zayn asked, a little less on edge.

A pause. "Yes," Pete said.

"Now who are you?" the voices said together.

"Zayn," he said. He backed himself against the wall, only to find that it, too, was soft and squishy.

"What can you do?" Dwayne asked. "I can implode anything I touch."

"I can cook anything I touch. Like a human microwave," Josue said.

"That doesn't sound as cool as you think it does."

"Shut it! We're supposed to be intimidating!"

Pete stood with a groan. "I can make anything my puppet," he said. "Anything."

All three of them had stood and walked toward Zayn, nothing more than dark shadows. The three of them spoke together again, leaning close to Zayn, close enough for him to see their gaunt faces: one pale, one brown, and one nearly black. "What. Can. you. Do."

"I can make anyone feel and do anything I want," Zayn said.

Pete nodded. "Good addition to the bravos."

"Very useful," Josue said.

"Welcome," Dwayne said, holding his hand out with a smile that was nothing short of menacing. Zayn curled up tighter. Dwayne scowled. "Take my hospitality, or this won't be fun for you."

Josue continued. "Accept it and roll with it, it'll be the most fun you've ever had."

"But you'd best learn to accept it," Pete said. "Like it or not, you're on our team now."

"And... What team is that?" Zayn asked.

"We're the bravos, under command of The Institution. Basically, we do their dirty work," Pete said.

"Theft," Dwayne said.

"Interrogation," Josue said.

"Extermination."

"Eradication."

"Assassination."

"Murder."

Pete grinned, crooked white teeth the only part of him that Zayn could make out clearly. "So accept it," Pete said. He held out a hand. "You're one of us now."

Zayn reached up and grabbed his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.


	8. But I've Got You To Keep Me Warm

The rain finally passed the next morning as the boys made their way up a nearly vertical climb, courtesy of Liam, who made stairs in the air.

"Come on, Niall, they're right here," Liam groaned. He stood probably ten feet off the ground, standing on what looked like nothing.

"I'm not walkin' on something I can't see," he replied, crossing his arms.

Liam sighed, and the stairs turned a light blue. Niall immediately bounded up the stairs, brushing past Liam.

Louis stopped next to Liam and watched as Niall slowed. "Do you think they're taking him back to the building?" he asked.

Liam nodded. "Makes sense. It's like we just reversed what we did before."

"It seems pointless. First we run, then they catch us, then we escape and run again, then they catch Zayn, and now we're going back the way we came." Louis shook his head. "I just... I don't know if I can keep doing this."

Liam looked him straight in the eye. The steps went clear again, causing Niall to squeal, and they rose through the air. "If you think I'm ever going to stop, you're wrong," he said. They rose up to the level of the cliff, and Louis scrambled off. 

Harry stepped up beside Louis as Liam walked away. "It's like when you got caught. We didn't think twice about coming to get you."

"You also came for Liam."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe they did. I mean, of course I'm glad he's safe, but my goal was you."

Louis brought his eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. We've known each other less than a week, but since that first day, my goal has always been to get to you."

Louis looked him in those bright green eyes and heard Harry's heartbeat slow. This had happened before, but Louis had never thought about it. He had figured that when you look at someone you love, your heart speeds up. But this meant that Harry felt safe around Louis, and calm. And that's what love was. Love was safety and calm and smiles. That's what Harry and Louis had given each other.

Love.

"We should get moving," Louis said. Liam was already farther ahead than Louis liked. "What exactly can you do?"

"Like what?"

"How tall can you make yourself?"

Harry pursed his lips as they walked. "I haven't tried that." Sure enough, he stretched up to about seven feet tall and stopped. "I guess I could keep going," he said.

"Come back down to me," Louis said, and Harry obliged. "Can you, like, change how hard your skin is?"

In answer, Harry knocked on his arm, which made a hollow clang. "Yes."

"Big test," Louis said. "Can you turn into a bear?"

Harry's brow furrowed. "I guess I could try." And sure enough, he was a bear.

Louis laughed. "That's fucking amazing!"

And then the bear talked in Harry's voice. "Hop on."

"What?"

"Hop on. I'll give you a ride."

Louis blushed for some stupid reason and clambered onto Harry's back. Harry broke into a light jog and bounced up between Liam and Niall.

"What the fuck?" Niall shouted. Liam turned and squeaked.

Louis laughed. "You just fucking squeaked, man! Sounded like a chihuahua!"

"Shut up," Liam said. "Is that Harry?"

"Sure is," Harry said, causing Niall and Liam to jump. Niall bumped into Liam, almost sending them crashing to the ground.

"That's freaky," Niall said, his eyes wide.

Louis slid off of Harry and let the younger boy change back. "It's something to do," Harry said.

Fifteen minutes later, they saw it.

The walls were dirty and covered in vines. They could only see one door near the bottom and two windows right beneath the bottom of the roof line.

"Louis, can you tell if there's another door?" Harry asked.

Louis closed his eyes and concentrated on the light wind. "Set of double doors around the back. Needs a code to get in." He opened his eyes to see Niall staring at him.

"Fucking amazing," the blonde boy said.

The four of them made their way silently around to the back of the building. They crouched behind a tree about six meters from the door. "The code is 84615," Louis said.

"How?" Niall asked.

"Grease smudges on the keypad. But I can't tell if there's anyone inside the door."

Harry changed, making himself look like one of the men they had seen in the woods. He walked straight up to the door and keyed in the code. He opened the door to look inside and waved them forward, and Louis let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Where should we go?" Harry asked.

"Can you hear Zayn yet?" Liam asked. Louis shook his head. "Then we need to find someone who knows."

The four boys made their way through the halls, Louis giving directions and Harry stepping around corners first. The first man Harry saw nodded at him.

Harry lashed out, pulling the man close to his side. "Quiet," he said, holding hid hand to the man's mouth.

Louis came around the corner and watched the man's expression turn to one of horror as Harry changed back to himself. "Do you know where they're keeping Zayn?'

The man muttered something, and Harry removed his hand. "No! I don't!" the man said.

"The one that four women brought in?" Louis said, taking a step forward. The man shook his head frantically. Louis sighed. "Niall, could you jog his memory?"

Niall swallowed and took a step forward, laying a hand on the man's shoulder. The man squirmed against Harry's grip as his face contorted in pain. "Alright!" He said. "In the basement!"

"How do we get there?" Liam growled.

"Down to the left, then right, then right, and the stairs are there!"

"Show us."

With a little more prodding, the man led the way, held in check by an invisible rope that tied his arms at his sides. They managed to get to the stairs with no trouble.

"Thank you," Liam said. "Niall, kill him."

Niall took a step back. "That's too far, man!"

"Fine," Liam huffed. they watched in horror as the man suddenly struggled for air, his eyes bulging and face turning blue. Within a few agonizing moments, he hung lifelessly in the air until Liam dropped him to the ground. "He got in the way," Liam said. He opened the door and disappeared down the steps.

"Liam!" Louis called as loud as he dared.

Liam spun around. 'What?"

Louis pushed past Liam. "I can hear him again."

Sure enough, Louis could feel the slow, calm hearts of three other people in close proximity to Zayn. And judging by Zayn's rapid heartbeat, Zayn was not having a very good time at the moment.

Louis raced down the stairs, the other boys close on his heels. They swung around a corner and froze.

There stood Jesy, the wound on her chest displayed proudly and a gun in her hand, pointed straight between Louis' eyes. She smiled. "The boss will be happy. She asked for one and got five instead." Four women stepped out from behind her and each grabbed a boy. "Let's see what you can do," Jesy said, leading them down the hallway. Louis fought against the woman holding him as they passed the room that held Zayn, but the woman held fast.

It wasn't just the women from the woods that Louis couldn't hear; it was these women, too. And it seemed like nothing the other boys did affected them, either. Was it possible that all women were immune to their abilities? to Louis, it was like looking through a sheet of dirty glass at each woman, and through a microscope at everything else.

Jesy punched in a code at a door farther down the hall. Another woman injected them each with something, and for a moment, Louis felt weak. And suddenly his senses were as dull as ever.

The women left Louis and the boys in a room with all six surfaces padded gray. There was no furniture. Just them.

Louis fell to the ground. "Impossible," he muttered. "How can an entire gender be immune to us?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Niall and Liam both sit against the wall, their knees to their chests. Niall leaned his head back while Liam stared at the ground.

Harry sat down next to Louis. "Not much we can do now, is there?"

"No. There's not." Louis leaned against Harry.

"You know how you said you'd protect me?" Harry asked softly, his had rubbing Louis' back. Louis nodded. "Well, I'll protect you, too."

Louis turned his head, and before he could think twice, pressed a soft kiss to Harry's cheek. Then the two of them sat still, staring at the door with the impossible hope that Zayn would come walking through.


	9. If You're Broken I Will Mend You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a bit of filler/fluff. I feel like the story needed this, though, to expand on the relationships I've touched on before. (Disclaimer: I realize that this fic isn't very scientifically accurate. Not that anyone has mentioned that, but seriously, I'm not a scientist. I care more about the storyline/ aesthetics than science at this point in my life.)

Louis and Harry lay on their backs near the back of the room, staring up at the plain gray ceiling. Liam and Niall slept along the wall.

Harry pulled Louis closer to his side, letting the smaller boy use him as a pillow.

"Do you think we'll get out of here?" Harry asked.

Louis stayed silent for a moment, pressing his hear to Harry's chest to listen to that familiar heartbeat. "Of course, love," he said. He draped an arm over Harry's body. "We always do."

"We haven't known each other long enough to have an always," Harry said. His chest rose and fell under Louis.

"We'll start our always now," he said. "I will always protect you."

Louis heard the smile in Harry's voice. "I will always stay beside you."

"I will always come to get you."

Harry pulled himself out from under Louis and propped himself up on his elbow. His eyes searched Louis' face. "Can I... kiss you?" he asked.

"The answer to that question, Harry, will always be yes."

Harry held himself above Louis just close enough to press a hesitant kiss to Louis' mouth. Louis pulled Harry down, wrapping his arms around the younger boy's neck. Harry pulled away and lay on his back next to Louis. "There's one thing you don't know about me," he said.

"What's that?" Louis asked.

"I'm bi." Louis laughed softly. "What?"

"And I'm straight," Louis said.

"Are you mocking me?"

Louis sat up and shook his head. "'Course not. I legitimately thought I was always straight. You're the first guy I was ever attracted to."

"Why were you attracted to me?"

"Your eyes," Louis said without hesitation. "They were the first thing I saw after that stupid vaccination or whatever you call it, and they're the most fascinating thing I've ever seen."

"What if you see some girl's eyes and think the same thing?"

"It doesn't work on women, remember?" he said. "I'll never be able to look at a woman and think of her as more complex and captivating as you."

Harry sat up, crossing his legs, his knees touching Louis', and leaned close. "What if somehow they take away our abilities?"

"I will always remember the most beautiful things I have ever seen."

"Always?"

Louis leaned forward and brought his lips to Harry's. This time, there was no hesitation, just desire. Harry's lips were warm, but they were dry and cracked after days of wandering the woods. Louis didn't mind, though, because his own were cracked, too. He brought a hand up and ran it through Harry's hair and felt Harry's hand on the back of his neck.

They pulled back, staring into each other's eyes. Louis couldn't help but wish he could see Harry in more detail. He would always remember those eyes, and that was the problem. He would always want those eyes.

 

~

 

The darkness fell over the forest, and the five boys made their way into the old, broken house. Niall and Liam walked into the second bedroom. Liam stayed just long enough so he was sure Louis was asleep. Not that Liam thought he would judge, Liam just didn't want him to wonder.

Liam crept out into the lounge. "Zayn?" he whispered softly, and flinched as he stepped on a creaking floor board.

"Over here," Zayn replied, even quieter.

The room was so black that Liam could see nothing, despite the fact that his eyes should have adjusted by now. He finally sat down on the couch next to Zayn, feeling Zayn lean against him. Liam slung an arm over Zayn's shoulder and pulled him close. "Hey, Zap," Liam said, referring to Zayn in the way he always did when they were alone.

Liam heard the grin in Zayn's voice. "Hey."

Liam's cheek rested on Zayn's head. "I wish I could see you," he said.

"Maybe you can."

Liam pulled back a bit. "What do you mean?"

"You can do whatever you want with the air, right?"

"Right..."

"Can you make it light up?"

There was a long pause, and Liam felt Zayn start to shift. Then Liam held out his hand, and an orb of light seemed to bloom from his hand, glowing a soft gold.

"Whoa," Zayn breathed. "You're amazing."

Liam chuckled and pushed the light up so it floated above their heads. "You're only saying that because I can do weird shit with the air."

"I've always said that," Zayn said.

"You have, and you're amazing, too."

A wave of ecstasy drifted over Liam, radiating from Zayn. Liam watched Zayn's content smile, and they sat in silence for a while. Liam though that Zayn had fallen asleep, but then Zayn spoke, barely a whisper. "I would stay here forever if it meant that we could be together."

Liam closed his eyes, his heart sinking. He knew why Zayn said that. Zayn's dad wanted Zayn to have kids. Zayn's brother had already told his family that he was never going to have kids, no exceptions, and now he was dead. Zayn's father was dead set on Zayn having a son so their name could pass down along the generations. He would never approve of Zayn having feelings for another boy. Liam pulled Zayn impossibly closer. "Me, too," he said, his voice cracking just a bit.

Zayn looked up at him, his eyes filled with tears. He stretched up and pressed a quick kiss to Liam's lips. "But we have to leave."

Liam nodded. "Eventually," he said. He looked into Zayn's soft brown eyes and smiled. "We have tonight, though."

All they did was lay on the couch, Liam's arm holding Zayn close. Liam put out the light, and they fell asleep, wrapped up together in silence, until the sun came up. Then Liam carefully lifted himself from the couch and pressed a kiss to Zayn's forehead. "I will stay with you," he whispered, "even if we make it home."

He had no idea that Zayn was awake, listening to his words. He had no idea that Zayn fought back tears as Liam walked away. He had no idea that Zayn reached out a hand for Liam as he disappeared into the bedroom again.

 

~

 

Leigh opened her eyes groggily and groaned at the ache in her back. She looked to the left and saw the boss sitting by her bedside, sliding a finger across a lit touchscreen. The woman looked up, her dark, shiny skin reflecting the light from the screen. "Welcome back, Leigh-Anne," she said.

Leigh glanced around the room, finding them alone. "Hello, mum," she said.

"You took quite a hit, I see." The screen went dark and the boss lowered it to her lap.

"It was that pesky tiny one," Leigh grumbled.

"No name calling. It's unbecoming." The boss leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Do you realize how much of a hassle it was to take care of you four?"

Leigh looked away. "Those four are surprisingly resourceful."

"You are my alpha team. Remember that."

"I know."

"I'm thinking that I should have sent the betas to begin with."

Leigh tried to sit up, but decide against it as her back blossomed with pain. "We finished the mission, didn't we? And their abilities don't work on us."

Leigh's mother sighed. "That's the problem, isn't, Leigh-Anne? Their abilities didn't work and you still ended up nearly paralyzed."

"The betas wouldn't have done any better. They're men."

"They're no more than boys." The boss leaned back. "But I suppose you're right. You were the best option, and we did get all five of those boys."

Leigh's eyes widened. "We did?"

"Well, to be more precise, Jesy did. The boys found their way inside, and Jesy apprehended them."

"Good."

"If you weren't my daughter, I would think of putting Jesy in charge."

Leigh closed her eyes. "I don't want any special treatment."

"Fine. I'll think about it." She stood. "You've failed me twice. If you fail one more time, Jesy will be in charge. Feel better."

Leigh watched as her mother left the room. It didn't seem as though her mother had cared much about her getting injured beyond disappointment. That woman was hardly her mother. Not her mother, her boss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments! This fic has been more successful than I could have ever expected! Thank you for reading, and I really hope you'll like what's coming next!


	10. And Keep You Sheltered From The Storm That's Raging On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suggest you read this chapter and the next in one go, which is why I uploaded them at the same time. This one's pretty heavy.

Zayn stood up when the door opened and Perrie and Jesy walked in. With them was a woman who bore a strong resemblance to Leigh, though her hair was straightened and long and she carried herself with the air of authority.

"So this is the new bravo?" the woman said. She stepped forward, grabbing Zayn's chin and moving his head. "You're the one who can control emotions?"

"Yes," Zayn said, proud that his voice didn't shake.

The woman brought her hand sharply and smacked him. "That is 'yes, ma'am," she purred. "Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Zayn said. His hands hung useless at his sides.

"I'd like to see what you can do," she said. "But first, I have news for you."

Zayn's eyes flicked over to Jesy, who had her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. Perrie held her hands together in front of her, her expression blank.

"Your friends are here," she said.

Zayn's eyes shot back to this woman. Her eyes crinkled, and she laughed. "What?" he said breathlessly.

"They came for you, I imagine. If you all cooperate, maybe I can arrange you to see them again."

Zayn narrowed his eyes. "Why do you even need us?"

This time the slap knocked him off his feet, and he heard snickers from behind him. "We don't need you," the woman said. "You just make our lives much easier." She walked over to the door and turned back to him, almost as an afterthought. "Follow me."

The four bravos followed the women down the hall. More women lined the walls, two in front of each door they passed. One door, though, had four guards.

Josue leaned in close to Zayn. "My guess is your friend's are in there."

Zayn glanced at the bravos. Pete walked along, his eyes squinted nearly shut. He walked ahead of them, though, directly behind Perrie and Jesy. Dwayne's eyes were wide open, but what threw Zayne off was the fact that Dwayne's eyes were completely white. He, too, walked along in front of Zayn and Josue.

"Where are we going?" Zayn asked.

Josue turned to face him, nearly skipping along sideways. "What's that? Sorry, can't hear out of my left ear." Zayn slipped over to Josue's other side and repeated his question. Josue's face broke into a grin. "This part is fun," he said in place of an answer.

The room they walked into sported padded gray walls like the last one, but the floor was covered in black tiles. Three men stood in a line in the second, and without hesitation, Dwayne, Josue, and Pete each stood before one man. The woman stepped to the back wall between Perrie and Jesy.

"Bravo 1," the woman said.

"Yes, ma'am," Pete said. The man in front of him raised his gun, shaking. Pete's eyes snapped open.

A bullet shot from the gun, and Zayn thought for a moment Pete was done for. Then the bullet turned around in midair and ripped through the man's chest. The gun then seemed to animate, blurring at the edges. It stretched and bent, the barrel aiming at the man's face, and a bullet flew from the barrel. Zayn closed his eyes.

"Bravo 2."

The man gave no warning, opening fire without fear at Josue. Josue rolled forward across the floor, his long black hair flowing almost elegantly behind him. He jumped to his feet directly in front of the gun and held up a hand. A bullet collided with his palm, stopping for a second before it melted and dripped to the floor. Josue's hand landed on the end of the barrel, and the gun bubbled and boiled before falling to the ground in a charred mess. The man took a step back and clasped his hands together.

"Bravo 3."

Dwayne widened his stance, his eyes wide and unseeing, and a grin spread across his face as the gun clicked softly, pointed at his chest. The gun flashed, and a flurry of bullets flew toward him. Dwayne's hands flew in a blur and blocked each bullet. Each shell the hit his hands exploded in a small flash of white light. Zayn squinted against the bright flashes, though Dwayne kept his eyes wide open. It wasn't hard to understand why Dwayne was blind. Just as quickly as it began, the gun's clip was empty and Dwayne remained unharmed.

"Bravo 4," the woman said, "Your turn."

Zayn looked over at her. "What do I do, ma'am?"

She pointed at the men still standing in front of Dwayne and Josue. "See these men? Make them fight. Make them kill each other." Zayn hesitated. "If you want your little friends to live, I suggest you do as I ask."

Zayn remained still and shook his head. "I can't, ma'am."

She hung her head. "I thought not.I'd hoped not to resort to this." With a snap of her fingers, the door opened. Zayn turned to see four women each holding one of the boys with guns in their hands. "Do it," she said quietly.

Zayn shook his head in disbelief. He looked into Liam's eyes, tears spilling down his cheeks.

"Do it!" she snapped.

The woman holding Harry cocked her gun and pressed it to his head. Harry tried to flinch away, but the woman held him fast.

"Do it!" she screamed.

Without looking, Zayn planted anger and hatred into the men's heads. his eyes never left Liam as the sounds of fighting drifted past his ears. It only took a few seconds for the sound of a snapping neck to fill the room, then a gunshot, then silence.

"Thank you," the woman said, and snapped her fingers again.

Another gunshot, and Harry fell to the floor, blood pouring from the side of his head.

"No!" Louis screamed. The sound was primal, ear-splitting, heart-shattering. He wrestled his way from the woman holding him and knelt by Harry's body, his hands pressed to Harry's cheeks. The crushing weight of the loss hit Zayn, and he reached out his consciousness to Louis, trying to calm him. Louis' head snapped to Zayn, pain etched across his face. "Don't you dare," he growled, and Zayn pulled back, letting Louis be. Zayn's eyes fixed on Harry as the women dragged the boys from the room.

"I did what you asked," Zayn said, his voice cracking.

"Timing is everything," the woman said. "You hesitated."

Brimming with hatred, Zayn sent anger rippling through the air. He made Pete, Josue, and Dwayne hat the woman with all their hearts. Pete reached out a hand, and the three bodies on the flood stood around him. He used them as lifeless shields as he pushed toward the woman.

The other women opened fire, and Dwayne and Josue stepped in their paths, blocking the bullets from hitting Zayn. And for just a moment, Zayn saw fear open on the woman's face.

Then the lights went out.

Josue cried out as a bullet tore through him. A body slammed into Zayn and sent him toppling to the ground. He felt the sting of a needle, and the feeling of control left his body. He curled into a ball, sobbing. When the lights came back on, the woman had a grin painted on her face. The other bravos had stopped fighting, and Perrie still lay on top of him.

The woman's eyes were crazed. "You. Are. Perfect!"

Perrie hauled Zayn to his feet and practically carried him down the hall. Zayn's eyes followed the trail of blood along the floor and straight into the room where the boys were. They had put Harry's body back.

Perrie pushed him into a room, alone. All he could see was a concrete floor and wall before the door closed and he was left in total darkness. He curled up alone, and cried.

 

~

 

Louis knelt in the pool of Harry's blood, his hands clenched tight in Harry's shirt. Harry's eyes stared lifelessly at the gray ceiling, unseeing.

"I'm sorry," Louis whispered. He lowered his head to touch Harry's chest. "I promised I'd protect...." His body racked with sobs.

A hand lay on his shoulder, and he shook it away. "I know what you're feeling," Liam said.

Louis spun on him. "No you don't!" he yelled. "Zayn's still alive!"

Niall grabbed Liam's arm and pulled him back.

More tears dripped down Louis's cheeks and fell onto Harry's chest. "It's cold, Harry," he whispered, all anger at Liam ebbing away, replaced by crushing sadness. He grabbed one of Harry's hands. "And you're still warm."

He felt helpless, even more helpless as that first night when Harry had been nearly bled dry. Maybe because he felt more for Harry now, maybe because he had grown accustomed to having some type of power, maybe because he had failed in his promise. His body felt heavy, and he couldn't breathe.

"It's all for you," Louis said, his lips touching Harry's forehead. "It's always gonna be for you."

He pressed his hand against the wound on Harry's head, as if it would bring him back. The blood had stopped flowing.

"Niall, you've got to do something," he cried.

"I... I can't," Niall said.

"Then what use..." Louis' head dropped again to Harry's chest, and he said five more words that he never thought he'd ever say.

"I think I love you."


	11. I'm Out Of Touch, I'm Out Of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry

Louis stayed like that for what seemed like forever. He just began to feel the beginning of power filling him, but it was too late. Not that being able to see Harry’s lifeless body would make much of a positive difference, anyway.

“I can try,” Niall mumbled. “Maybe…”

Louis shook his head. The heat had already begun leaving Harry’s body.

“Are they gone?” a voice groaned. It almost sounded…

No. It couldn’t.

“They’re not watching?” Again, that voice.

Heat seeped back into Harry’s fingers, and Louis raised his head. He watched as Harry’s eyes refocused. “Harry?” he breathed.

“Fuck, that hurt,” Harry said, louder now. The color began returning to his face, and his eyes blinked rapidly for a moment.

“How?” Niall said, rushing up beside Louis.

“I have this thing,” Harry said, pushing himself up to a sitting position, “where I can make my body do anything I want. And when I want to play dead, I guess it’s pretty convincing.”

Louis launched a punch at Harry’s chest, feeling satisfaction at Harry’s grunt. “You ass!” he yelled. “How could you do that to me?” he then fell forward, pulling Harry into a crushing hug.

“I heard you, you know,” Harry said. “And I think I love you, too.”

After a few moments passed, Louis sighed. “We have to figure out a way to escape,” he said.

“Yeah. If it wasn’t for that drug wearing off when it did, Harry would be a goner,” Niall said.

Louis gave him a cold glare. “Don’t even joke about it.”

Niall held up his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said. His heart beat quickly, but he sounded sincere.

“So, the plan,” Liam said. “What is it?”

Louis listened down the hall. “Zayn is alone now, down the hall to our left. Two guards in front of his room.”

“So what do we do?” Harry asked.

Liam cracked his knuckles. “I’ve got this.” He faced the wall to his left and held out both hands. A thin line traced the outline of a circle in the wall.

“What are you doing?” Louis asked.

“How many rooms over?” Liam asked.

“Two…”

“Anyone in the room next to us?”

“Not that I can tell,” Louis said.

“So there could be twenty armed women in there,” Harry said. He picked some dried blood from the side of his face.

Louis reached out and grabbed his arm. “Leave it,” he said. “It makes you look creepy.”

A grin spread on Harry’s face. “I like creepy.”

Webs of debris filled the air, pulled and beaten by Liam’s power. The other boys closed their eyes. Louis heard the air rip through the padding on the wall, then into the concrete wall beyond it. It scraped shrilly, and Louis covered his ears with his hands. Harry wrapped his arms around Louis and pulled him tight to his chest.

The air cut through to the next room, and bits of the wall fell silently to the floor. On the other side of the wall were three women. They looked up, startled. Louis smirked. “Niall, follow my lead,” he said. “Harry, play dead!”

Liam led the way into the room, staring at the three women with a look so cold it could freeze blood. Louis followed, a look on with open hatred. “You shot him,” he growled. True anger flowed in his veins. It didn’t take heightened senses to see the fear on the women’s faces. They shot toward the door, which Liam slammed closed.

Louis watched as the women’s faces went pale. Louis turned and saw, in shocking detail, as Niall walked through the hole in the wall, his eyes dark and his hand held up. Harry walked behind him, limping along. He was the vision of horror, dried blood caked to his face, his eyes open and blank.

The women shook in terror, and one fired a gun. Liam didn’t even flinch, letting the bullets bounce off of the invisible barrier he had put in front of them. “Stay,” he ordered, and drilled another hole.

It opened to a blank room with plain concrete walls. “Zayn,” Liam called.

Zayn popped into view, his eyes red and puffy. “Liam?”

“Come on,” Liam said. He held out a hand. “We’re leaving now.”

Zayn stepped into the light and placed a hand in Liam’s. “Wh-what’s up with Harry?” His eyes revealed a mix of horror and confusion.

Liam leaned in close. “He’s faking it. He’s okay.”

“Ladies, please open the door,” Niall said. He moved his hand forward, and Harry jolted forward as if under Niall’s control.

One of the women squealed and scampered to open the door. The boys stayed close to the walls so the women outside wouldn’t see and waited for the room to empty.

“What do we do now?” Zayn asked.

“We’re making it up as we go.” Louis slipped closer to the door. “And I suggest we go now.”

“What is it?” Harry asked. Zayn’s face showed only the slightest hint of disgust.

He had heard them speaking before. They had said their title. “The bravos!”

Louis was the first to step out of the room, in a full sprint toward the steps. Harry fell into step behind him, followed by the other boys. “Duck!” he yelled.

Five boys fell to their knees as a metal door crashed into the steps, demolishing them to a pile of rubble. Louis spun, flying at the boy standing in front of him. “Pete,” Zayn whispered.

“Stop, Pete!” Louis yelled. “We just want out!”

He crashed into Pete, sending him crashing into the wall behind him. Pete smiled, his eyes glued shut. “What can you do, then?” he asked. “Reading minds?”

“Don’t be so cliche,” Louis yelled, kicking out. Pete caught his foot and sent him to the ground.

“Just for that, I’ll take the dead one!” Pete’s eyes opened, glowing red. After a second of Harry not responding,he looked back at Louis. “Why isn’t it working?”

Louis smirked, deciding to keep up with the deception. “He’s already under Niall’s control.”

Pete sent bullets flying at Louis, but he listened for their paths and jumped out of the way effortlessly.

Meanwhile, Liam set off against Dwayne. Liam sent a fist flying at Dwayne’s face, but Dwayne caught it. Liam fell to the ground, holding his hand in pain. Dwayne laughed until Niall flew at him, one hand on Liam and one on Dwayne. Dwayne fell back, his hands crushed in pain, and Liam stood up, his hand now fine.

Harry jumped forward at Josue. Harry’s fist grew to the size of his head and smashed into Josue’s face. Josue fell back and tripped over Dwayne, who lay on the floor.

Louis felt Zayn’s sudden happiness. He thought maybe it was because the boys had saved him, but then he felt a pulse of helplessness wash over him. The other boys fell to their knees, while Pete, Josue, and Dwayne picked themselves up.

“Zayn?” Liam asked.

Harry growled, almost feral, in a way that made even Louis shake for a second. “You, Zayn,” Harry said, standing and growing bigger, “have gone too far.” He took a step forward, and Zayn’s concentration wavered for just long enough for Louis, Niall, and Liam to break free. “We came to save you.” Another step. His voice went lower. “I got shot for you.” Another step. “And now you’re on their side?”

Zayn fell back in shock. Dwayne leaped at Niall, who stuck out a hand. As soon as Dwayne came in contact, he fell to the ground, and Louis felt his heart stop.

Liam threw his arm out, knocking Zayn aside with a blast of air, and recreated the stairs. The four boys ran up the stairs, Harry covering their tracks with punches at anyone who tried to get near them.

Liam was the first one to fight his way outside. They ran the opposite way they had the first time they had escaped this building. He ran ahead of them.

Louis didn’t mention that he heard Liam crying.


	12. I'll Pick You Up When You're Getting Down

Zayn sat down in shock on the demolished pile of rubble that used to be the stairs. Harry's words ran through his head.

_We came to save you, and now you're on their side?_

Those words branded him.

_I got shot for you._

How was he alive?

 _We're leaving now_ , Liam had said.

Liam had pushed him aside.

But only because Zayn had betrayed them. He had betrayed Liam.

His eyes crept to Dwayne's body, which lay on the ground with shock etched on his face. Josue and Pete stood above him. Zayn couldn't read their expressions.

"He killed Dwayne," Pete said.

They had just wanted out.

"Dwayne was our brother!"

My brother's dead, too.

The woman walked past Pete and crouched in front of Zayn. "You proved yourself, my boy."

I'm not your boy.

"It's a shame, though. Dwayne would have been useful."

That was it. Dwayne would have been useful. This woman saw them as nothing more than a way to gain an advantage in whatever she had planned. Zayn saw disbelief on Josue's face, and anger on Peter's. Had they really expected anything different? But then again, maybe Zayn had, too. Maybe they all thought somehow they were important. Otherwise, why would Zayn have betrayed them?

The woman ordered them back to their cell, and that's what it was. A prison. And just as they had with Harry, they dropped Dwayne in the cell, right inside the door, and then they were left alone.

"How could you let this happen?" Pete yelled, his face indistinguishable in the darkness.

"It's not like I control them!" Zayn snapped. He felt Liam's cold stare still burning on his skin.

"You could!"

Zayn stepped close enough to Pete that he could feel breath on his face. "I was drugged."

Pete slammed his fist into Zayn's face, and Zayn heard Josue jump at the crack. Zayn felt hot blood running from his nose. "Excuses!" Pete yelled.

Zayn fell back, but Pete grabbed the front of his shirt. "Maybe, but it's true! It must not have worn off completely." Pete's fist connected with his face one more time. "Or maybe we all have our weaknesses."

"And what's yours?" Pete asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Maybe I can't change strong emotions."

"And mine?"

"Your family."

Pete's hand fell from Zayn's shirt. Without a sound, Pete fell to his knees. Zayn wiped the blood from his face. The power still rippled through his veins, and he remembered that they hadn't given them any injections. "They'll send us after the boys, I imagine," Zayn said.

"Why would they?" Josue asked.

"That woman said Dwayne would have been useful. She'll want to get back at them, and I bet she won't want them to escape. She's going to tell us to kill them."

"I want to," Pete growled.

Zayn sighed and knelt in front of him. "Let me tell you something," he said. "These women caught Louis and Liam before. We decided to do everything we had to to save them. We made this plan that essentially meant we would just run in recklessly and beat everyone to a bloody pulp. It meant that the three of us would all have blood on our hands. Niall, though- the one who did this- absolutely refused. He didn't want to kill anyone. Harry and I had already killed, but he hadn't."

"Now he has."

"I know. But I also know that he would never do anything like that intentionally."

"You're saying this was an accident."

"Yes."

"One hell of an accident. What kind of power is that if he can't even control it?"

"Well you can't even open your eyes without something going crazy."

A moment of silence. "Why'd you turn against them?"

Zayn sat back on his heels. "I don't know. Honestly, I wish I hadn't."

"But I mean, you're pretty damn impressive."

Zayn smiled. "You, too."

Zayn fell silent, listening to the sounds of Josue and Pete bickering back and forth. It was amazing, and slightly disturbing, that the two bravos could so easily forget about their dead "brother." God knew Zayn had needed a few days. And now that Dwayne had died, and Pete had called him his brother, his heart weighed heavy again.

And Liam. Liam must hate him.

 

~

 

When Zayn had first laid eyes on Liam, he felt undeniable happiness for some reason. This sixteen year old boy who he had never met before had brought him such joy. It had taken an unbelievable amount of planning for Zayn to actually walk up to him.

"Hey," Zayn said quietly.

Liam sat alone at a table in the mess hall, eating his food slowly. "Who are you?"

Zayn swallowed. This shouldn't be this hard. "I'm... Zayn."

Liam squinted. "We've never met before, have we?"

"N-no."

Then Liam's face had lit up into a brilliant grin. "In that case, I'm Liam," he said, holding out his hand.

When Zayn had touched Liam's hand, he felt electricity. And maybe Liam had felt it to, because they were inseparable for the rest of the summer.

That last night, Liam and Zayn sneaked out and lay in the middle of the football field behind the cabins. "Do you think we'll see each other again?" Zayn asked.

"I'll make sure of it. We'll leave here, and then it'll be  _zap_ and we'll be together again." Zayn laughed. "What?" Liam asked, a smile in his voice.

"Why'd you say zap?'

Liam shrugged. "Don't know. Glad I did, though. It made you laugh."

Zayn could barely see Liam in the darkness, but he looked over anyway. That brilliant smile lit up the night. "You make me happy," he said.

Liam nodded. "I think I'll call you Zap. I want to make you laugh all the time."

Their hands folded together. That was the moment that had lasted forever, but ended too quickly.

Zayn would give anything to go back there.

 

~

 

The same memory crowded Liam's mind as they jogged through the trees. He never expected Zayn, his Zap, to ever do anything to hurt him. But he had. Now Liam had to think of a way to escape this place.

He could lift them up over the wall, like he had lifted them up the cliff, but he didn't know what was on the other side. They could search for the way the women had gotten here. It could be a boat or a plane, or maybe they had driven here and there was a gate. So they could walk along the wall until they found the gate, but they didn't have much time. Those women would no doubt be after them soon.

The boys couldn't afford to go all the way back and save Zayn if he didn't even want to be saved.

Liam's foot caught on a root, and he tumbled to the ground.

"You okay, Liam?" Niall asked. He reached forward, ready to heal.

Liam held up a hand. "I'm fine," he said, though a sharp pain shot through his ankle. He hauled himself up, using the pain to distract him from the pain in his chest.

I love him.

I  _loved_ him.

He had to concentrate. He couldn't get sidetracked by Zayn's betrayal. He had to push forward.

"Any ideas what's on the other side of the wall?" he asked.

Louis nodded. "I think they made each of the trees in the wall individually and put them together. There was a small space in between the trees."

"I didn't see anything," Niall said.

"I don't think you could see it because it was so small. Anyway, I looked through it and saw water. I think it was the ocean."

"So we're on an island?" Niall asked.

"We could be on the coast of something," Harry said.

Liam nodded. "So we go the opposite way. If the wall goes all the way around, then maybe Louis can see through it again. If not, then we're home free."

"Assuming they don't catch us first."

"Then we'd better get a move on."

So that's what they did. Louis took the front again, Harry obediently by his side, as always. Niall and Liam fell into step side by side, and Liam felt the crushing weight of Zayn's absence.

The other boys had been quiet since they had left the building, and even now, their faces were solemn. Niall reached over and touched Liam's shoulder, and the pain in Liam's ankle subsided. Niall's face was blank, but his eyes were hooded.

"What is it, Niall?" he asked. He didn't bother being quiet, since Louis could hear anyway and would tell Harry eventually.

"I killed him, didn't I?"

Liam stared ahead, into the wild woods. "It's hard to tell," he said. "We made our getaway pretty fast after that."

"Louis?" Niall said.

"I wasn't paying attention," Louis said.

Niall hung his head as if that was answer enough. And Liam supposed it was. Louis would tell Niall if that guy was okay. Maybe he hadn't been paying attention, but Liam was sure Louis heard everything, no matter what.

And again, Liam wished Zayn were here to soothe the pain Niall was feeling. Liam wound an arm around Niall's shoulders, feeling the blond boy shake. "It'll be okay, Niall," he said.

Niall shook his head. "No, it won't."

Liam had the same feeling. It didn't feel like it could be okay. It didn't feel like anything would be okay ever again.


	13. And Out Of All These Things I've Done

"Those boys are a nuisance!" the boss said.

Leigh sat at her mother's right hand despite the doctor's orders to stay in bed. This meeting was far too important. Her back still throbbed, but she was determined to catch those boys. "Will we send out the bravos?" she asked, fearing for whatever answer she would get.

"It's reasonable to say that the four of you aren't in the condition to work alone."

The other girls shifted uncomfortably, staring at the table. Even Leigh accepted the reprimand.

"And Leigh-Anne, I expect you to stay out of the direct conflict."

"Understood."

"So it will just be the seven- six - of us fighting?" Jesy asked.

The boss shook her head. "The six of you will fight, Leigh-Anne will take command, and I'll send out the Deltas as your back up in case it goes wrong."

Leigh scoffed. "I highly doubt four inexperienced boys will be too much for the alphas and the bravos."

The boss gave her a cold stare. "Those boys overcame the bravos today, despite Zayn turning on them, and they bested all four of you multiple times. The deltas go."

The deltas were the natural fighters. Any women other than the alphas and all unaltered men fought as the delta team. Originally, the five escaped boys were supposed to be the charlie team, though that clearly hadn't worked out. When they had been caught again, it seemed like that goal would be accomplished.

"There is no way those boys will escape with our full forces after them," the boss said.

"Shouldn't we go soon, then?" Perrie asked.

The boss nodded. "I expect you ladies to give the orders, and as soon as you're prepared, you go."

 

~

 

"I'm tired," Niall said. He sounded it.

"They'll be after us," Liam said. "We can't afford to rest."

"No, I understand," Harry said. "I'm exhausted."

"We'll be no use if we can't even walk," Niall reminded.

Louis said nothing, though his head pounded and his body was heavy. The sun had set already, leaving them in near darkness, only the light of a sliver of moon to light their way.

Liam sighed. "Fine, we can rest. Louis, can you keep watch again?"

"Yeah," he said. He wasn't sure he could, but he was damn well going to try so he could protect Harry. The sight of him dead was not a thing Louis wanted to see again.

Liam nodded. "We need to find somewhere protected."

Louis pointed. It took concentration, but he was able to hear the wind around a dense group of trees. "Trees, that way. It'll do."

They walked over and found the area crowded and stuffy, but it would have to do. Niall fell to the ground, instantly asleep. Liam leaned up against a tree and closed his eyes.

Harry and Louis sat next to each other, their knees touching.

"Do you ever wish we had a history like Zayn and Liam?" Louis asked.

He looked at Harry. Harry's face was turned to the sky, the soft moonlight plenty to light his face. "I don't know. This is our history, right?" Harry said.

"Yeah, but this is some shit way to meet." Louis lay his head on Harry's shoulder, feeling him jump slightly.

"Doesn't matter how you meet." Louis' eyes drifted closed. "Are you sleeping?"

"No, I'm not. I'm listening."

"'M pretty sure you're about to fall asleep."

"I really want to. I'm not sure I can stay awake any longer."

Harry wrapped a warm arm around Louis. "Then sleep. I'll stay awake."

"You can't hear as well as me, and you're tired."

"Maybe we can keep each other awake."

"What do you mean?"

Harry stood, pulling a groaning Louis up with him. "Follow my lead."

"What are you-" Louis' word were cut off as Harry pulled him close. Louis looked up at eh taller boy, seeing his bright green eyes even in the dim light. And then Harry started  _dancing_ of all things.

"If you want a history, here it is."

Louis heard Harry's heart beating faster as they slowly turned, rocking back and forth. Louis set the rhythm, moving to the sounds of the forest around them. He had never felt as happy as he did at that moment, spinning in tiny circles with a boy he had met a week ago, with too many sounds surrounding them.

But he was so tired. His mind was overloaded and his ears were ringing. He lay his head on Harry's warm shoulder, felt a kiss on top of his head. And maybe that kiss made him feel small, but he had never felt so safe. He wanted to protect Harry, but maybe he would let Harry protect him, just this once.

 

~

 

Harry held Louis in his arms, even after the smaller boy had fallen asleep. He lay him down on the ground and watched his chest rise and fall. He gripped Louis' hand softly and stared into the darkness. He saw nothing past the trees and heard nothing but the wind in the leaves. He wished that he could protect Louis better than this. He wanted to fight off everything that meant Louis harm, even if it was sadness. He wanted to give Louis that history, those memories that Louis wanted so badly.

But he supposed they did have a history. Harry stroked his thumb over Louis' hand. "We don't need a history," he said. Even though Louis was asleep, Harry knew he could hear him. "You saved me when you took that needle from my arm, and when you kept them from taking my blood any more, and when you gave me water, and when you watched over me that first night.." He lay down by Louis' side. "You saved me when you cried. That's why I lived. You made me want to live, even though we only just met. And every time you heard them and we ran, you saved me. When they shot me, The only reason I lived is because I wanted to live for you."

Harry stared at the sky, counting the stars. There were so many, it would take forever to count them all.

One of them shot across the sky. "I wish..." Harry began. He squeezed Louis' hand. "I wish, no matter what happens, that Louis will be happy."

The sunrise couldn't come quickly enough. The sooner it came, the sooner they could escape, and the sooner Louis would be safe and happy.

They set off again, heading the same direction as they had before. Louis took the lead, Harry by his side, and Liam and Niall behind them. And Harry was sure that Zayn followed far behind them, even if it was with those people. Walking through the woods at Louis' side felt almost normal now.

"Once we get out of here, what do you say we go on a hiking trip?" Harry asked.

"I'm gonna have to pass," Liam said.

"Me, too," Niall said. "My legs are killing me."

"I'll go," Louis said. "If you're serious. I'd rather go swimming."

Harry nodded. "Swimming it is."

"I'm down."

"Me, too."

Harry didn't know it was this easy to feel lighthearted. He hadn't slept last night, but he felt good, as long as Louis stood by his side.

Louis grabbed Harry's hand quickly, pulling him closer. Harry may not be as perceptive as Louis, but he could feel Louis' apprehension. "What is it?" he asked.

Louis' hand tightened on Harry's. "I have a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach," he said. "It's been too quiet for too long."

"Isn't that a good thing? You'd be able to hear them, anyway."

"No. I mean, there's no life out here. I used to hear birds and things, but now I don't. I can only hear the trees."

He said it quietly enough that Harry was certain the other boys hadn't heard. "We'll make it out."

Louis nodded. "I hope so," he said, before coming to an abrupt stop.

"What is it?" Liam asked. 

Harry looked back to see both Liam and Niall fall into battle stances, back to back.

"I can hear machines. Buzzing."

Harry strained his ears, but heard nothing. 

"Duck!" Louis shouted, and all four boys fell to their knees, and something flashed like metal where Harry's head had been. Harry followed its path and saw it loop back to where it had started. There sat a large bird, its feathers black and its eyes white. It let out a rocky squawk as the metal hit its side and reattached as the bird's wing. "What is this?" Harry shouted. He rolled out of the way to avoid another wing.

The forest flooded with the sound of dozens of metal wings flying toward the four of them. Harry heard Louis shout in pain and ruched over to him. Louis lay on the ground, a deep gash on the side of his neck. Harry felt a wing slice through his hand. He growled through the pain, not even thinking of healing it. Instead, he hardened his skin, feeling wings slap into his body. He reached down to stem the flow of blood from Louis' neck. "Don't give up on me," he whispered. Louis had to hear his plea.

Harry stared down at Louis' face, his eyes searching for life. He could see a light in Louis' eyes, however slight, staring back at him.

"This time, let me protect you," Harry said. His other hand rested gently on Louis' cheek. He saw a wing falling, headed straight for Louis. Harry shifted his body to block it, ending with his body hovering over Louis. "Niall!" he shouted. "Help!"

"I'm busy!" Niall shouted. He blocked a flying wing with a branch.

"Louis needs you!" 

Niall turned his head, a look of horror washing over his face. A wing slammed into his temple, and he fell.

"Liam! We need to go!"

Liam refocused the shield he had made with the air, laying it over the four of them. He picked up Niall, and Harry did the same with Louis. "Run!" Liam shouted.

Harry and Liam took off, each of them weighed down by the boy in his arms. The wings had stopped flying, but the birds followed them. "How is this happening?" Harry yelled.

The air sparked, and Harry fell to his knees, wrapping himself around Louis. This was it. He was sure he was going to die, but he'd be damned if Louis did, too. "Don't you die," he growled. He felt Louis' arm twitch and tightened his grip. The electricity in the air made his hair stand on end. It was almost unbearable. He didn't look up, instead keeping his eyes focused on Louis' face. If he was going to die, he wanted Louis to be the last thing he saw.

Then the electricity was gone, taking the sound of the birds with it.

"You can get up now," Liam panted. Harry turned to see Liam fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Liam?"

This was Liam's doing. Birds were scattered across the ground, feathers scorched, metal glinting through their skin. He had made the air electric and used it to short out the birds. He had used up all his energy. He was down for the count.

Harry was left with two unconscious boys and one on the brink of dying. He needed Niall to wake up soon. He didn't think he could keep them all safe.

"Don't you die, Louis," he said, holding the unconscious boy close. Blood still dripped from the wound in Louis' neck, but it was slower now, and even Harry could feel the cold of Louis' skin. "You can't leave me. We said we'd always protect each other."

With the adrenaline wearing off, Harry could feel his injured hand throbbing. He hadn't realized how much blood he had lost from his hand and from the hits he had taken before Louis. He felt lightheaded, the world spinning around him. He lay down and curled his body around Louis, determined to protect Louis, even if he himself died.

 

~

 

Pete wore sunglasses, which seemed to work better than keeping his eyes closed. Now he could see and the light didn't bother him too much. He headed in the direction of the shock of electricity he had felt just a few moments before. He knew Zayn and Josue had felt it, too.

He was the first to come across the bird lying on the ground. It must have been one of the defensive measures the boss had warned them about. Pete knew it meant nothing good.

Only a few steps farther, he saw the four boys lying on the ground. None of them looked to be in very good condition, each battered. Niall had a huge gash on his right temple. Liam had dark circles under his eyes, and his skin looked almost gray. Pete knew from experience that was what happened when someone used too much of their power in one go. The other two looked the worst off, though. Harry had wrapped himself around Louis, but both were covered in blood and far too pale.

Pete jumped at the rustle in the bushes and thought back to what Zayn had said.  _I wish I hadn't._ Pete was tired of people dying.

He lifted his sunglasses and took control of the trees and the bushes. The ground exploded with moving roots, which grabbed all of the birds and dragged them back into the ground. Bushes reached out and pulled the boys under them, wrapping them in a protective layer of leaves, until not even Pete could see them. And he made the grass and the moss move and condense over the patches of blood on the ground. He dropped his glasses back over his eyes just as Jesy stepped into his view.

"You were given orders to stay in my sight," Jesy said. Her gun rested in her hand, ready to shoot.

"I'm sorry," Pete said. "I thought I saw something."

"Did you?"

_Yes._ "No, I didn't."

"Then let's keep moving. And you don't go wandering off again."

Pete nodded, and he and Jesy kept going.

He thought of how those boys would feel when they woke up wrapped up like that. It would probably scare them to death, but there was no avoiding it. This was the only way no one would find them.

Pete was done with this. He had lost Dwayne, and he was so tired.


	14. I Think I Love You Better Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry about how long this took! I've been coping with suddenly being thrown into my first semester of college ever where I moved to Florida from Illinois and left all of my friends behind. So yeah.  
> Thanks for reading!

Liam woke up first, laying in a loose tangle of branches and vines. He rolled over and pushed himself up to his hands and knees, his head pounding. The light seemed to be attacking him, impossibly bright.

His eyes drifted to where Niall lay, still unconscious, an ugly bruise on his temple. He crawled over, trying to conserve his energy, and shook the blonde boy's shoulder. "Niall. Niall, wake up."

He looked over to Harry and Louis, who lay together in a tangle of blood-covered limbs.

Liam heard a rustle to the side, and he jumped. His head whipped around, and his eyes met with those of Zayn.

Zayn stared back at Liam, his face blank and his eyes glazed over. "Liam," he said. There was no emotion at all.

"Zayn." Liam tried his best to keep his voice from cracking.

"What happened?"

Liam stood up. "What happened? We were attacked by metal birds with boomerang wings and Niall and Harry are out cold and I'm pretty sure Louis is dead. So thanks for your concern. Maybe if you hadn't completely fucked us over and tried to kill us then maybe we could have avoided this. So fuck off back to your new friends."

Zayn's eyes narrowed. "You know Niall killed Dwayne."

"If you hadn't turned on us we could have avoided it."

Zayn took a step toward Niall. "He killed Dwayne."

Liam stepped between them. " _You_ killed Dwayne."

Zayn's face twisted in anger, and Liam felt a wave of self hatred flood his brain, and for a moment Liam's knees felt weak. He squeezed his eyes shut before he was able to push it back. "Stop," he said. The hatred grew. "STOP!"

He flung his hand out, and Zayn flew back and slammed against a tree.

A gunshot exploded, and Liam felt the air move around him as the bullet scraped dangerously close to his neck. He fell to the ground to avoid the sudden storm of gunfire.

He threw up a wall of air, watching as the bullets smashed against the invisible barrier. He felt the barrier get thinner as his strength faded. In a flurry of movement, he let the barrier drop, grabbed the other boys with the air, and sprinted away.

Dozens of women crashed through the trees around him, and more than one bullet tore through his body. He grunted through the pain, feeling his strength ebbing away. He sent the air around him crashing into trees, forming a wall of debris behind him.

Somehow he managed to escape the women and collapsed in a heap behind a knot of trees. The other boys still lay unconscious.

"Niall," he said again. He had never felt this weak. "Niall."

Niall groaned. "I've got a killer headache," he mumbled.

Liam let out what he meant to be a laugh, but sounded more like a gasp. "Thank God," he said, falling to his back.

"Liam! What the hell happened?" Niall exclaimed, stumbling over to where Liam lay.

"I'll explain it later," Liam said. His eyes fell closed.

Niall's hands splayed flat on his chest, and within seconds his pain had melted away. He stayed there with his eyes closed. "Feel better?" Niall asked.

Liam nodded. "Just exhausted. Go... Louis and Harry."

Liam opened his eyes and turned his head, looking over as Niall healed Harry and Louis. Harry stirred almost immediately, but Louis didn't move.

Liam pushed himself up and stared at Harry as he held Louis closer. "How're you feeling?"

Harry looked up. "Physically I'm fine. Emotionally I am bruised."

Liam stood, but he stumbled for a moment. "We have to go," he said.

Niall walked over and pushed Liam's shoulders until he sat again. "As your self- appointed doctor, you have to rest."

"They're after us, and I don't know how long we have until they catch up."

"You can hardly stand up. And Louis is still out."

Liam glanced over to Harry and Louis. Harry sat with Louis' head in his lap, staring down and running his fingers through Louis' hair. While to Harry, it may seem romantic or dramatic or something, to Liam it was awkward. Liam looked back at Niall and nodded before falling to his back and falling immediately asleep.

 

~

 

Liam sat in the dining hall the second week of camp, alone once again. His cabin mates never spent any time with him, so Liam was normally alone. He picked absently at the pile of undercooked mashed potatoes and chicken fingers.

"Can I sit here?" a voice said.

Liam looked up to see a boy his age with black hair and brown skin. His eyes were brown but still managed to shine, and Liam couldn't help but notice the innocence in those eyes. "You know you don't have to ask me, Zayn."

Zayn sat across from Liam and took a bit of potatoes. "Sorry. I'm new to the whole friends thing."

"Start by not talking with food in your mouth," Liam laughed.

Zayn swallowed and looked at the table. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"Right. Sorry."

Liam reached across the table and lay his hand on Zayn's. "I can tell you right now, you will never have to apologize to me."

Zayn nodded and smiled a little, and for the next few minutes, they ate in silence. "You want to go on the hay ride?" Zayn said after a while.

"Yeah. If we hurry we can catch the first spin."

They put their trays on the conveyor belt and walked outside, hopping on the hay ride seconds before it pulled away. The sun had just set, so there weren't many people, and the sky glowed a dark blue. 

Liam leaned back, staring into the sky. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen this many stars in my life."

"Me neither."

Liam could tell that Zayn wasn't looking at the stars, but instead at him. Liam smirked. "What are you thinking, Zayn?" Liam said, his voice quiet.

"I think," Zayn said slowly, "that you are by far the nicest person I've ever met." He paused. "And I don't want this summer to ever end."

"We still have almost three months." Liam turned to look at Zayn, who now stared off into the darkness. The hayride had taken them deep into the woods, and it was hard to see Zayn's face. Liam scooted closer.

Zayn looked at him in confusion before his face broke into a grin. "They used to call me the Bradford Bad Boy."

"Who? Your mum?"

Zayn laughed. "Yeah. I don't think you've seen these, since I've been wearing a jumper this past week." He pulled off his jacket, exposing his arms. Liam could see something, but he wasn't sure what. "Here." Zayn turned on his phone, much to the annoyance of the three girls in the other corner, and handed it to Liam, who shined it on the so called "Bradfod Bad Boy."

"Wow," he said breathlessly. Zayn's arms were riddled with tattoos, each one unique, but they somehow fit together. The most obvious one was a red explosion that said "Zap." Liam pointed at it. "Fan of comics, then?"

Zayn nodded. "Always have been." He shivered.

Liam turned off the light, hearing a sigh of relief from the girls. "Put your jacket back on. It's cold out here."

Zayn obliged and moved closer to Liam, laying his head on his shoulder. Liam smiled and put his arm around Zayn.

In the darkness, they could see only each other. There was nothing else in the world, and Liam was perfectly okay with that.

 

~

 

Harry stared down at Louis, who was still pale and cold. Harry held Louis closer. Niall sat against a tree, tossing a stick up in the air repeatedly. "Why don't you get some sleep?" Harry asked.

Niall rolled his eyes. "I've been out for who knows how long and I'm pretty sure I have a concussion. I'm not sleeping."

Harry nodded. He brushed some of the dried blood off his and Louis' skin. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I healed him. I think it's probably just shock or blood loss or something," Niall said.

Harry felt Louis' faint heart beat in the smaller boy's wrist. Harry gripped Louis' hand. "You stay with me, okay?" he said. He knew Louis couldn't hear him, but he kept talking anyway, as if it would wake him up. "I'm really tired, Louis. So damn tired. All I want to do is sleep for a few weeks, but I can't because I'm too busy worrying about you. I don't even know why, since I only met you recently, but I can't stop." Harry sighed. "I told you I'd protect you, but I failed. Now you have to wake up so I can try again."

There was a crash in the woods, and Harry's head shot up. His eyes scanned the trees, and he wished that Louis would wake up and tell them what was out there.

Another crash. Liam was now awake. "I think it's time for us to go."

Niall nodded and stood. Harry gathered Louis in his arms.

The third crash had Harry in a dead sprint away from the setting sun. The shadows of the trees danced on the ground, and wind whipped at Harry's hair. 

He and the other boys stopped as a squirrel crossed their path. "Is that an actual squirrel?" he asked.

"I don't know," Liam said.

After the attack of the demon birds, Harry was more than a little apprehensive about any type of wildlife. And the fact that the squirrel simply stared at them, and something still crashed behind them, put Harry on edge.

The squirrel hissed and jumped at them, and Harry saw Niall's foot fly forward and launch the squirrel into the air.

They started to run, and they didn't stop running all night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos or comments if you liked this! Or don't. I don't control what you do. Hope you liked it though.


	15. I'm Out Of Sight, I'm Out Of Mind

The bravos sat in a room with their hands bound behind their backs and their heads hung low. The boss paced along in front of them, her boots silent on the concrete floor. "How are you three able to fail so miserably? We let you out, and all you managed to do was fail to catch those boys." She grabbed Zayn's chin and turned his face so he looked her in the eyes. "Especially you. You found them and let the only conscious one best you."

Zayn's eyes flicked to Pete, who more than anything, looked guilty. Pete's eyebrows were scrunched together and his eyes stayed trained on his knees.

"Look at me," the boss said. Zayn's eyes trained on hers. "You realize what you did wrong?"

Zayn nodded. "I let them escape."

The boss smiled and patted his cheek. He flinched, making her smile more. "Correct." She took a step back. "Do you know why we chose you all?" Zayn stayed silent. "We have done research all around the world. We chose you and all of the other subjects because of the psychological tests you took when you were young. The results showed that you would be more adaptive and responsive to our situation. Clearly the tests were unreliable."

"You can't judge us on something like that," Josue said.

The boss slammed a foot into Josue's chest, sending him crashing to the ground. "I am in control here, and I can do what I want." She turned to Zayn, who quickly lowered his eyes. "But out of all the research we did, we managed to overlook something very important. Do you know what that is?" A pause. "Liam."

Zayn's head snapped up. "What?"

"You knew each other. You were together, weren't you? That's why it's so surprising that you turned against him." She ran her fingers through his hair, and he pulled away. "Then again, the alterations have a tendency to mess up a subject's brain."

Zayn knew what she was talking about. He had watched his brother spiral out of sanity until he had taken his own life. "Why do you care?" he hissed.

She stepped away to a table that sat in a corner of the room. On it sat a tablet and a microphone. She picked up the latter and carried it over before crouching in front of Zayn. "Did you know we have speakers stashed around the forest outside? They were originally used to call in teams during training exercises, but with your little friends, I've thought of a different idea.

"What, then?"

The boss pressed a button on the base of the microphone. Zayn imagined her voice echoing all over the woods. "This is a message specifically for Liam," she said. "As you know, I have a friend of yours. Say hello, Zayn." She held the microphone up to him, but he just glared. "It turns out that he is expendable. So, Liam, I suggest you bring yourself and your friends back to our compound." 

She set the microphone on the ground and pulled out a knife. "This will be fun."

Zayn felt the knife ripping his skin apart in a line across his abdomen. He held strong for just a second before he screamed.

 

~

 

Liam froze at the sound of the woman's voice coming from every direction. When he heard Zayn's scream, though, he turned and ran the way they had come.

"Liam, stop!" Niall shouted.

Liam spun around. "We have to help him." Zayn's screams echoed through the trees.

"He betrayed us!"

"He must have had his reason."

"What reason could he possibly have?" Niall yelled.

Liam ran his hands over his over his face and to the back of his neck. "I don't know."

"We can't go back again."

Liam sat down heavily, his face buried in his hands. He knew Niall was right. They couldn't go back, no matter how much he wanted to.

 

~

 

Harry sat against a tree with Louis pressed against his side. Louis's skin was slightly warmer than he had been earlier.

"I'm getting really tired of passing out," Louis groaned.

A huge grin split Harry's face. "Louis." His voice cracked slightly. He wrapped his arm around Louis and pulled him close, breathing in the scent of Louis' stale sweat. He felt Louis take a deep breath and flinch at the sound of Zayn's screams.

"What is that?" Louis whispered.

Harry lay his cheek on Louis' head, shrugging his shoulders. Louis moved as Harry moved, almost an extent of his own body. "That woman is going to torture him until we go back."

"I don't want to go back."

"Neither do any of us, but I think Liam thinks he has to."

Liam was sat on the ground, his face hidden. "He looks like shit," Louis said.

"So do you." With his pale skin and dark under eye circles, he certainly did look terrible.

"You're supposed to tell me I always look good."

"Am I?"

Liam stood suddenly. "We can't go back. Let's move. Hi, Louis."

Louis waved feebly, his eyes following as Liam walked past.

Harry stood, picking Louis up without hesitation, and followed after Liam. "I think we need to train," Harry said. "We keep getting our asses kicked."

"You're probably right," Liam said. 

Louis' head bounced lightly against Harry's chest. "You said that because of me, didn't you?"

Harry shook his head. "We all got beat this last time. And you seem to be able to hold your own."

"I'm the only one who you keep on having to carry around. And I'm the only one who can't use his abilities to fight. I guess I'm the weakest of the bunch, aren't I?" He sighed. "Even those other guys back in the building can fight."

Harry brought his face close to Louis', speaking into his ear. "You. Are. Amazing." Harry could feel Louis smiling and stopped walking. He didn't mind that Liam and Niall wandered away ahead of them.

"Why did you-"

"It's hard to kiss you if we're walking." He pressed his lip's to Louis', trying to warm the smaller boy with a kiss. Louis wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and pulled closer.

"Harry! Louis!" Niall called. Harry pulled away from Louis, pressing their heads together. "Do you really think this is good background music for that?"

Harry looked at Niall, flinching at yet another agonizing scream. Liam stood a few steps farther back, his face a mix of irritation and unbelievable sadness. "Sorry," he replied, and trailed behind Liam again.

 

~

 

The punching bag shook with each punch Leigh threw. Her fists shook with each satisfying thud. She spun and kicked the bag before lashing out again. She wore only a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra, her feet bare and sticking to the cold floor. She didn't turn when she heard the quiet footsteps.

"I see you're feeling better."

Leigh scowled. "Thank you so much for your concern."

The boss touched the still sore scar on Leigh's back. "I do try, you know."

"I guess you're done having fun with Zayn," Leigh said, her voice tight and shaking with every blow.

"For today. The scouts haven't seen the boys. It seems they don't care as much about Zayn as we thought."

Instead of replying, Leigh threw a punch so hard it broke the punching bag. At least this broke. She always felt satisfied to watch something get destroyed.

The boss sighed. "Maybe the Institution should expand its products. We would make something far less... Defective."

She disappeared, and Leigh punched at the bag again. Sand poured out of the hole she had made, pooling around her feet. She kept punching, harder and harder, even after her arms felt like they were on fire and her fists throbbed. She punched through the tears leaking down her cheeks, she punched past the breathlessness.

If she wasn't good enough for this, for the Institution, then her life wasn't worth living.


	16. I'll Do It All For you In Time

Louis hopped down off of the bleachers around the football field, kicking at the ball that had rolled near him. The ball soared through the air and straight past Stan and into the goal. Louis raised his arms in triumph. "The Tommo beats the unbeatable Stan!"

Stan snickered and threw the ball back onto the field. "Lucky shot."

Louis jogged onto the grass. "Nah I'm just awesome."

Louis' eyes flicked to the silver car on the street. It didn't look like anyone was in it, but it made him uneasy. The ball slammed into his chest, taking the wind from his lungs.

"So much for being awesome." Louis didn't reply, and Stan and the other boys came closer, following Louis' gaze. "Why are you starin' at a car?"

"That car,' Louis said, pointing at it, "has been following me for a week. I see it everywhere, but there's never anyone in it."

"Ah. An empty car following a shit footballer around town."

Louis looked at Nick. "I'm not kidding."

Stan patted Louis' shoulder, making Louis flinch. "Man, maybe you should go home for the night."

Louis nodded. "Yeah. Probably should."

"Want me to get you home?"

Again Louis nodded, and he and Stan made their way off the pitch and down the road. The houses on either side of them were dark inside and out, and even the streetlights cast an eerie glow on the empty street below. Louis felt isolated even though Stan babbled on beside him. His eyes flicked around, scanning the street around him. He froze and held an arm out in front of Stan.

"What is is?" Stan asked.

"The car," Louis said, his voice low.

Sure enough, the car sat a block down, lit up by a streetlight. Its headlights slanted down in the center, making it seem angry. The front seat was empty.

"That has to be a different car," Stan said, though he didn't sound so sure.

"I have seen that car everywhere for the past week."

Stan grabbed Louis' hand and pulled him along. "It's nothing."

Louis pulled himself closer to Stan, their bodies pressed together. The next ten minutes of walking were excruciatingly slow, and Louis shivered in the cold January air. Finally Louis' house was in sight, but this time Stan froze. Louis spotted the car once again, parked in Louis' driveway. "Now that is weird," Stan muttered, moving forward slowly. He pulled Louis along behind him.

"Can we go back to yours?"

"Yeah. I just wanna see."

Then Stan was on the ground, his hand torn from Louis'. A dark shape rolled away at lightning speed. Without thinking, Louis spun and took off down the street, dropping his bag on the pavement. His breath came in puffs, each exhale releasing a cloud into the air. He sweat under his coat, but frost bit at his face and hands.

An arm wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. A cloth covered his mouth and nose, forcing him to breath in. Each breath stung, and his eyesight became blurry and splotchy. He went limp, barely feeling himself fall.

 

~

 

Louis sat upright and heard a groan to his side. He looked over and saw Harry sleeping silently beside him, his arm extended to the side. Louis put a hand over his mouth and screwed his eyes shut. Vomit built up in the back of his throat. He dashed away into the brush and heaved up nothing. His stomach contracted painfully, a reminder of the disturbing lack of food they had eaten in the past few days. He leaned on a tree in support.

How had he forgotten Stan? They were on the same football team, and they were together. For a few days, anyway. Was Stan even still alive? The possibility that Stan was dead made Louis heave again. His eyes stung as he fought back tears.

The leaves behind him rustled, and he spun, bringing up a branch in defense.

"Woah," Niall said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Just me." 

Louis let the branch fall to the ground, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He fell against the tree and slid down, the bark tugging at the fabric of his shirt.

"Are you okay?" Niall asked, crouching in front of Louis.

"Is that even a question?"

Niall laughed. "I guess not." His smile disappeared. "Seriously, what's up?" He lay a hand on Louis' shoulder.

Louis clasped his hands behind his neck. "I have a boyfriend."

Niall took his hand back. "That's not what I... You and Harry?"

Louis shook his head. "Stan. Back home. We're on the same football team. He's the goalie."

"But then what about Harry?"

"I don't know." Louis' eyes fell shut again. "I forgot about Stan. We were only together for a few days before all this shit happened."

"What are you gonna tell Harry?"

Louis shook his head slowly. His chest constricted painfully. "I don't know. Can I be left alone?"

"Yeah." Niall stood and walked back to where Liam and Harry still slept. 

Louis listened to the three heartbeats, the breaths huffing slowly in the night air. His own breaths drifted visibly into the sky, into the uncountable stars and into the moon. The sky looked so different here than back home. He could imagine himself living here with Harry for the rest of his life, finding a place to hide or a way to beat those women that wanted nothing more than to hurt them. But he could also imagine himself back in Doncaster playing football with Stan. Maybe Liam, Niall, and Harry sat in the stands, cheering them on. Maybe Louis could have the best of it all.

But he knew that Liam would never be happy without Zayn, and Harry would never be happy watching Louis from a distance. There was nothing Louis could do to have everything he wanted.

With a burst of energy, Louis jumped up and set off back the way they had come. He may not be able to have all he wanted, but someone deserved a happy ending.

 

~

 

Harry took a deep breath and flexed his arm. Louis no longer lay on it. For a moment Harry thought Louis had just rolled away. He opened his eyes and looked around, his eyes narrowing at the disturbing lack of Louis. He pushed himself up and walked around the clearing, looking for signs of Louis. He found footprints in the soft mud, leading away.

"Niall! Liam!" Harry cried, crashing back into the clearing.

Liam looked up in irritation, his eyes squinted against the morning light. "What is it?"

"Louis is gone."

"Christ, what did he do?" Niall breathed, just loud enough that Harry could hear.

"What do you know?" Harry practically growled.

"I can't tell you." Niall stood. "Should we go after him?"

Liam shook his head. "We can't go back."

"The thing is, he's not with those women. My bet is he went off on his own." 

Harry got close to Niall, their noses almost touching. Harry was already a few inches taller than Niall, but he willed himself to grow taller, more intimidating. "What do you know?" he asked again, his voice deathly calm.

"It's not my-" Niall began.

Harry pushed Niall, sending him falling to the ground. "Tell me!" He took a step forward, shaking off Liam.

"Fine!" Niall held up his hands. "Louis remembered something about his life before all this."

"What did he remember?"

"His boyfriend, Stan."

Harry deflated, his mouth hanging slightly open. He felt tears in his eyes. "What?" he asked, his voice cracked.

"I don't know where he went."

Harry fought for breath. "Why didn't he... What did he..." Harry stuttered. His voice failed him.

Liam grabbed his arm gently. "We can't go back."

Harry nodded. "I know."

Apparently, none of them would get a happy ending. Liam had lost Zayn, and now Harry had lost Louis in more ways than one.

 

~

 

Louis ran through the forest, dodging around branches and bushes, his feet whispering across the ground. He controlled his breathing, staying so quiet that even he couldn't hear himself. He thought of Stan and of Harry, and of the mission he had chosen for himself.

He heard a group of women in the distance and fell into a crouch. He waited until he saw the group. Four women he didn't recognize chatted quietly as they walked, machine guns hanging loosely over their shoulders.

He stepped out of the bushes, his hands raised. It took the women less than a second to train their guns on him.

"I'm here to surrender," he said.

The four women moved forward in crouches. One lowered her gun and pulled out a zip tie before she circled around behind Louis. She had just grabbed his wrist when he fell to the ground.

Three guns went off, the bullets tearing through the woman. Louis pulled the knife from the holster on the fallen woman's thigh and sliced the second woman's abdomen, sending her falling, too. The third woman brought her gun to aim at Louis, but he grabbed her gun and pointed it at the third woman, who fell dead just as she gripped her walkie. He pulled the third woman to the ground and snapped her neck.

He took two of the guns and all of the extra bullets off of the woman. He also took one of the woman's bags, which was filled with water and food, and the walkie.

When he stood, his arm was coated with slippery blood, he turned toward where he knew the building was. He took off again, moving just as silently as before. He knew what the women would do before they did it. He saw their muscles and eyes moving. He had been wrong yesterday. He wasn't useless at all.

He had that to prove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for staying with this!


	17. I'm Gonna Paint You By Numbers

He knew this place. He remembered it perfectly, like he had lived here his whole life. The hallways were a grid, turning at right angles, systematic. There was the room where he first saw Harry. There was the hall they turned to find Zayn the first time. There were the demolished steps that Louis hopped down silently. He turned each corner gun first, surprised at the ease with which he found himself traversing the halls. There was the room where Zayn had been.

He crept close to the door, listening for Zayn. Instead he heard two heartbeats he had encountered only twice before: once when Harry was shot and once when they had escaped.

Louis used the keys he had picked up from another woman outside to unlock the door. He paused a moment before swinging it open, aiming his gun at the startled boys inside.

"Where is Zayn," he growled.

The white boy wearing sunglasses stood and raised his hands as Louis jerked the gun. "We don't know."

"Where?"

The other boy stood. His hair was black and as long as Harry's, but it was straight and greasy. His skin was the same color as Zayn's. "We do know," he said, his voice thick.

"Lead me there."

The two boys walked in front of Louis, their hands in the air. The hallway was long and straight and empty. 

There was the room where Harry had lay, bloody and surely dead. That room where Louis had cried over a boy he hardly knew, where he hadn't remembered the boy back home.

They turned a corner, and there at the end of the hall was a door with two women in front of it.

The two bravos ducked and dived to either side of the hall. Louis opened fire, his heightened eyesight allowing him to line up two perfect shots. The women fell.

The rooms around them erupted, women flooding the hall. Louis picked off shots, one woman after another falling. The bravos took down women of their own, picking up guns and opening fire. By the time they were done, women lay dead or unconscious all around them.

"Move," Louis said. 

The three of them moved along, all three in a crouch. 

"I can't do anything at the moment," Peter said. "We both were injected with suppressant."

Louis nodded. "Just aim and shoot."

Louis opened the door, and three guns pointed at the five women standing in a row in front of Zayn.

"You killed my women," the oldest one said. 

"You must be the boss," Louis said. "Step away from him."

"What are you going to do, shoot me?"

"I could."

"Your bullet would go right through me. Into Zayn."

Louis heart the heartbeat. Fluttering, broken. "Then I'll shoot them." He shifted his gun to point at the woman to the left.

The four younger women pulled guns from holsters on their lower backs, all pointing at Zayn. "I wouldn't do that," the boss said.

Louis lowered his gun an inch, his muscles weak. His goal was to save Zayn, not kill him.

Then the four younger women aimed at the boss's head. "You're done," the one with the dark skin said. She looked a hell of a lot like the boss.

"What are you doing?" the boss snapped.

"You're done," the woman said again. She cocked her head. "Take him and go."

The bravos dropped their guns and circled around to where Zayn sat. Three heartbeats moved to the door, five heartbeats left the room. Louis lowered his gun and backed out, his eyes never leaving the women until he turned the corner.

The bravos both supported Zayn, who wore no shirt and whose back was torn and ripped. His head hung limp and his feet dragged along the floor. Louis picked up four more guns along the way and kept his gun cocked and ready, prepared to cover their escape.

It never came to that, though, as they climbed out over the broken steps and into the forest. Louis never let his guard down.

"What are your names, by the way?" Louis asked.

"Pete," the whote one said.

"Josue."

Maybe they would be a good addition to their little group.

 

~

 

The boss glared up at Leigh, her eyes cold and angry. "You know you won't get away with overthrowing me."

"There's nothing to overthrow."

Half the women in the compound were dead and the other half suffered from bullet wounds. Going after those boys wasn't worth it anymore.

"The Institution won't stand for this."

Leigh took a step back, taking her out of the room. "The Institution had a Pinnock. Now they have another."

She swung the door closed and left her mother.

Perrie stood with her hands clasped behind her back. "How are you feeling?"

Leigh smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've grown up a lot. The other women?"

"Seventeen on the mend. Four in critical condition. Nineteen dead."

Jesy stepped around a corner. "You have a call from the Institution."

Leigh followed Jesy to the conference room, Perrie trailing behind them. Jade stood with her hands resting on the table. She looked up and spoke into the speakers. "She's here."

A deep voice spoke through the speakers. "Welcome back, Pinnock."

"Glad to be back."

A pause. "You aren't Pinnock."

"I'm Leigh- Anne Pinnock. I've taken control."

"Where is your mother?"

"She failed to apprehend the subjects, so I decided her time as the boss was over."

"And you believe that you are a proper replacement?"

Leigh leaned on the table the same way as Jade. "I was raised in the Institution and have all of the qualifications necessary to appoint myself as the new boss of the European division. If you look at my file, you will find that to be true. Now, to what do I owe this call?"

"The cooperative, including your mother, decided that trading assets would be benificial. Four assets are in shipment from the Australian division. They have already been dosed with alterations and the results were a complete success."

"Why are you sending them here?"

"These four assets are remarkable. I have no doubt they will be able to apprehend your escaped subjects."

Leigh sat lightly. "And when should we expect the assets to arrive?"

"Within the day. In the mean time, we must officially appoint you as head of the European division. We will send you a link to get your electronic signature. I will set up a video conference call for your initiation."

"Thank you, sir." 

"No need to call me that. Now that you are to become an official member of the cooperation, you may call me Jung."

"Thank you, Jung."

"My regards, Pinnock. I sincerely hope you will be able to fix the mistakes your mother has made. There are ten women transporting the assets. With my regards, you may keep them."

The line clicked silent, and Jade let out a squeal of joy. Leigh smiled slightly.

"So are you going to just take the reigns? Become your mother?" Jesy asked.

Leigh turned around in the chair. "Obviously not." She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, her fingers steepled together. "If you will stand beside me, I plan to sabotage the Institution from the inside. The assets the Cooperative is sending and the ten women with them should help."

Jesy took a step forward. "I will."

"Me too," Jade said.

Perrie smiled. "You have been our friend for as long as I can remember. We will stand by you through everything."

Leigh smiled wide now. "Good. Have a seat." The four of them sat around the table, lit up by the soft white glow of the light fixtures. "Let's get started."

 

~

 

The boys weren't in the camp anymore, though Louis couldn't blame them. There was no way that they would have stayed. Louis saw the faint footprints in the grass. The branches broken and the leaves shuffled around. Zayn still hung limp between Pete and Josue. 

"Where are they?" Pete asked.

"Follow me," Louis said. "I don't know where they are but I can follow their trail."

Pete dropped from beneath Zayn's arm, leaving Zayn's weight on Josue's shoulder. "Who put you in charge?"

"Currently, I'm the one who can find the others."

"Why would we want that?"

Louis turned, his eyes full of fire. "We have been planning and escape, and we can carry through with it. And clearly you want to escape. Otherwise, you wouldn't have taken those guns and shot up the place, and you wouldn't have come this far carrying an unconscious man."

Pete ducked under Zayn's arm again after a moment of consideration. "Then let's go."

The four set out again, their pace quick and steady. Louis knew he had to get Zayn to Niall soon. Otherwise, this would have been useless.


	18. And Color You In

Harry and Liam both fell heavily to the ground, leaves crunching under them. Liam buried his face in his hands, his breath shallow. His heart felt like a brick, weighing down in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Liam. Harry." Niall's voice practically squeaked.

Liam looked up to see Zayn hanging limp and bloody between two of the boys from the building.

"Zayn!" he shouted and ran forward. The two boys gladly handed Zayn over. Liam held him close. "Niall!"

"Right!" Niall came over and quickly healed Zayn. Liam watched the cuts grow closed again and sank to the ground.

When he looked up, he saw Louis and Harry staring at each other. It was kind of unsettling, how while the day before they had been so close, now they stayed far apart. The silence and the tension were palpable. Then Louis surged forward, wrapping Harry in a hug. Harry was visibly tense for a moment before hugging him back.

Liam's attention shifted back as Zayn moved. His head lolled to the side, resting in the crook of Liam's neck. "Zap?" Liam whispered.

"Liam," Zayn groaned.

Liam squeezed him tight. "I'm here."

Zayn nodded, his new scruff scratching lightly on Liam's skin. "Never let go."

 

~

 

Leigh stood strong, her shoulders back and her head held high. Her three friends stood in a triangle behind her, along with all the women who could still stand in a line behind them. They were a ways from the compound, stood near the garage. There was about a mile of forest between the two buildings.

What the boys didn't know that there were still more guards lined up along the north side of the wall. A triple gate stood there, the only weak point in the place.

Leigh's phone buzzed, and she checked the screen. The gates had been open and a convoy of three black Jeeps drove along the road. "They're here," she called.

She waited until she heard the cars rolling through the forest and squared her shoulders again. She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She didn't know whose it was, but it was quite welcome. She set her face with the most confident expression she could muster.

The cars stopped in a line. Four women exited the first and the last car, and two from the middle.

"Welcome to Finland," Leigh said.

One of the women stepped forward, her skin tan and her hair curly. Her accent was thick as she spoke. "Thank you for having us."

"Gladly. Leigh Pinnock." She extended her hand.

"Charlotte Singh. I hear this is your first day." Her hand was calloused and tough, her grip strong.

"Let's hope this goes well, then."

Charlotte signaled with her hand, and two of her women walked over to the middle car and opened the back doors. "Keep in mind that the Australian division is one hundred percent volunteer, so the boys here should be given full access to your compound."

"Understood."

"Also, one of them is my nephew, so please treat them well."

Four boys exited the car and stood in a line. Perrie, Leigh, Jade, and Jesy stood before them.

"This is Calum, Luke, Ashton, and Michael," Charlotte said, stepping down the line and placing a hand on their shoulders as she said their names.

"Welcome, boys. We have a bit of a hike before we get to the compound." She stepped back and extended a hand. The line of women fanned out, forming a protective barrier around them.

"What are you so afraid of?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm sure you have been briefed on the situation here. Keep in mind, seven boys are wandering these woods with their powers that they don't fully understand, which makes them dangerous. Also, the compound is a bit of a mess due to the escape."

"I'm sure you have been briefed on the wild success of our tests."

"What exactly can they do?"

Charlotte gestured again, and the boys stopped. Leigh and her friends turned and watched.

"Lightning speed and reflexes," Charlotte said. Michael disappeared from view and reappeared not two seconds later with one of the markers from the gate.

"Gravity control." Ashton reached out a hand, and a tree crushed to the ground and then rose into the air.

"Personal element transmutation." Luke's skin changed color and texture multiple times, morphing from dark gray metal to glowing neon and back to normal.

"Memory implantation." An innocent memory appeared in Leigh's head, of standing on a cliff overlooking a sea. The memory wasn't hers.

"You have some nice subjects here."

"Volunteers."

"They don't speak much."

Charlotte smiled. "It may sound strange, but we had them take a vow of silence. They are on month four of six."

Leigh nodded and the group moved again. "Given your success, I was wondering if you had isolated the ability variable yet."

"Unfortunately, no. Where we excel at our volunteer's durability, you excel at science."

"We should hurry. I have an orientation to attend."

 

~

 

Seven heartbeats stopped at the edge of the wall. "Do you see anything, Louis?" Liam asked.

"More forest. But it's full of life. Very different."

Louis glanced at Harry, whose eyes were focused forward, on nothing. Louis thought of his words last night.  _"What's this about you and a boyfriend."_

_"I have one."_

_"Oh."_

_"I don't know what is going to happen when we get back."_

_"Who are you going to choose?"_

_"I don't know."_

They were so close to getting out. So close. "Time to go home."

"You know, I've been here for three years," Pete said. "Josue's at eighteen months and counting."

Harry nodded. "The count is over."

Peter did the honors. He stretched out a hand and made the tree wall expand, a hole twisting open. The other side looked the same. Maybe it was his imagination, but he swore it smelled different. They stepped through the gaping hole, all at once. Peter closed the hole in the wall, leaving a scar where their escape had been

Louis shook his head. "It's not right," he said.

"What?" Josue asked.

"Not you," Louis said. "This."

He locked his hands behind Harry's neck and pulled him down. They stood, their lips locked, Harry's hands floating in air, unsure. Then those warm hands landed on Louis' waist, pulling him close. Their bodies pressed together.

He pulled back just a little. "I know who I'll choose."

He turned, his fingers intertwined with Harry's. Liam and Zayn walked even closer, their arms wrapped around each other. Niall, Pete, and Josue stood spaced out around them. They each looked at each other, and each nodded.

Seven heartbeats took the first step home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end. Thanks for sticking with it, and I hope you like how it ended. Kudos, comments, whatever. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


End file.
